Darkening Threads
by The Hraefn
Summary: News update, 11-25-03: Fic discontinued in favor of rewrite. Check inside for a word from the author, as well as a teaser of Chapter 3 (had the fic been continued). My apologies to all who've been waiting ages for an update.
1. Laraal Mountains

  
Darkening Threads  
A Threads of Fate fan-fiction  
by Lyn Chan  
  
Disclaimer: Threads of Fate(Dewprism in Japan) and all its characters  
are the rightful property of Squaresoft. Everything else that wasn't  
part of the game is all mine. All events portrayed bear no relation  
to actual incidents-- any similarities are entirely coincidental.  
Kudos to all RPG designers for creating such wonderful and engaging  
games for the avid RPG buff. Nothing beats a good RPG!  
  
I've had this idea for a long time-- ever since I first finished  
the game-- but I never got around to writing it. This is my first  
attempt at writing a fanfic based on a video game but not the first  
fic I've written. There are two reasons why I decided to try writing  
this-- one, I noticed that there weren't many fics about Threads of  
Fate so I wanted to tell the world about this great game, and two, I  
love writing stories. I find that I enjoy writing fiction more than I  
do writing newspaper articles. There's a kind of joy in making  
something that is wholly your own. I hope you enjoyed reading this as  
much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks!  
  
Lair of the Lynx  
http://www.geocities.com/the_lynx2001/  
E-mail: the_lynx2001@yahoo.com  
  
**!!WARNING!!** SOME LANGUAGE AND SITUATIONS IN THIS FIC MAY NOT  
BE SUITABLE FOR A YOUNG AUDIENCE, PARENTAL GUIDANCE IS ADVISED!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 1: Laraal Mountains  
  
The Dancing Pollywog certainly wasn't the best tavern in the world-- it's  
food was barely edible, the drinks were watered down, and the ventilation was  
so poor that the smoke from yesterday's pipes still lingered in the air.  
Despite all that, the place got its regular share of patrons; it was the only  
such establishment in Reza, a ramshackle town built on one of the biggest  
trade routes between three major cities. As a bonus, the second floor of  
the tavern doubled as an inn, which made it quite popular as a stopover for  
travelers and merchants from all over the land. And, like all taverns, the  
Dancing Pollywog was also a hotbed of rumors and news brought in by every  
person to enter its doors-- and with travelers from almost every country, the  
stories told within its walls was wilder than most. If it's information you  
want, chances are you'll find in the Dancing Pollywog. Which is how Princess  
Mint found herself ensconced at a table in the dim, smoke-filled common room  
of the only tavern in Reza.  
  
This time she'll find the relic for sure!  
  
After that debacle with Valen and the Dewprism five years ago, things had  
settled down for a while. Rue went back to live with Claire, and Rod started  
travelling again. Prima Doll and his new family remained behind in Carona.  
Duke and Belle... who cared where those two went? And as for Mint, well,  
it was back to East Heaven for her. The strangest thing was that she didn't  
enjoy being pampered as much as she used to... life on the road had given  
Mint a taste for adventure and living in a castle was boring her out of her  
skull. Even Maya's offer to accept Mint as co-ruler didn't hold much appeal.  
Hard as it was to admit it, Mint knew her younger sister was more than  
capable of ruling East Heaven by herself. What Mint needed was some  
excitement. Unfortunately, the only excitement in the past five years was  
the awakening of Rue's new brother Ruenis; even the discovery of the  
Ephlesia City ruins in the Great Western Desert turned out to be a  
disappointment-- the ruins had already been stripped clean by bounty  
hunters. Bored and with nothing else to do, Mint decided to repeat history  
and go into self-imposed exile once again. This time she decided to take up  
bounty hunting-- the pay was good, she got to enjoy a free lifestyle, and  
if she managed to find a relic on the way, well, she wouldn't complain.  
Usually she'd be able to convince Rue to go with her on her 'missions', but  
not always. He had responsibilities after all. This was one of those Rue-less  
missions.  
  
The red-haired princess had heard rumors about an ancient ruin somewhere  
in the Laraal Mountains. Reza, being the only human settlement even remotely  
close to the dangerous mountain range, was an obvious destination choice.  
Asking around for information about the ruins was a lost effort since most  
of Reza's population were transients. So, after the tenth or so person she  
talked to yielded no results, she decided to just keep her eyes and ears  
open-- and what better place for listening in to conversations than a tavern?  
Mint tried to be unobtrusive as she sat in a darkened corner of the Dancing  
Pollywog's common room. She'd sat there, nursing the same mug of rootbeer,  
for the past ten hours already. She was ready to call it a day when a scrap  
of conversation caught her attention.  
  
"Man, I'm telling you, that last mission was a nightmare! No way am I  
gonna do somethin' like that again!" spoke a man by the bar, his leathers  
proclaimed him to be a mercenary-for-hire. He was rather young for a  
mercenary, early to mid-twenties at the most. He was also clearly rattled,  
as if he'd just seen something frightening-- the hand that held his mug of  
ale was shaking so badly that most of the ale ended up on the countertop  
than in his mug. He calmed down somewhat after draining the last of the ale.  
The man he was talking to-- also a mercenary(the rather rusty armor was a  
dead giveaway), but older and more experienced-- turned to him rather  
curiously.  
  
"Eh? Not gonna do what? So what happened to ya?" 'Rusty' asked.  
  
The man stared at his empty mug morosely for a few moments. "Hey, barkeep,"  
he called. "It's empty. Fill 'em up, will ya?" He waited while the barkeeper  
refilled his cup then took a hearty gulp; he belched.  
  
"Where was I? Oh, yeah. A coupl'a days ago this guy came up to me and said he  
wanted to hire me. I thought he was a trader so I said OK. Of course, I asked  
for his itinerary... standard procedure, you know? Turns out he wasn't no  
trader after all, seems he wanted me to get some treasure from an ancient  
ruin for him-- wouldn't tell me what. Now, usually I don't accept contracts  
without knowing what's what, but this guy offered me 100,000 G if I do the  
job, no questions asked."  
  
The other man's eyes widened at that last statement. "100,000 G!! Damn! For  
that much money-- Hell! I'd sell my own grandmother if it'll get me that  
much."  
  
The first man nodded somewhat drunkenly. "With that kind of money, who can  
resist? I was the only one he hired, too-- he didn't want to share the  
treasure more than he had to. So next day I go with him up to the Laraal  
Mountains. Dangerous place, those mountains, monsters everywhere. But ain't  
anything I can't handle," he said, a hint of bragging in his voice. "It was  
when we reached the ruins that things turned a bit hairy. I'm not one to  
believe in ghosts but I could've sworn there was someone-- or something--  
watching our every move. The guy who hired me, he had a map, so he led the  
way in. All I had to do was grunt work-- you know, moving things outta the  
way, watching out for traps and monsters and the like... It was pretty easy  
going at first, even the traps were no problem. We soon came to this huge  
room filled with all these strange stuff, it seemed to be what my ex-boss  
was looking for." He stopped to take another sip of the ale. He turned to  
continue his story but blinked in surprise when he saw how much attention  
he was getting.  
  
The man's tale seemed to have attracted an audience since most of the people  
in the room had gathered around him to hear the rest of his story. The  
mercenary in the rust-stained armor prodded him to continue.  
  
"Ex-boss?"  
  
"Yeah, ex-boss," the storyteller agreed. "I was just thinking on how it was  
the easiest money I ever made when this-- this THING appeared out of nowhere!  
It was huge, probably twice as tall I am, and the smell... God, did it stink!  
I didn't pay much attention to what it looked like; I was too busy saving my  
ass from that monster. All I remember about the thing was that it was black  
and that it had wings. Oh yeah, it's eyes were glowing-- red as fire. The  
monster was fast-- and strong-- I wouldn't have stood a chance. If I had some  
back-up then maybe I'd've considered trying to take it down, but the little  
shit who hired me was too cheap to bother paying for more guards. No way  
was I gonna try saving the bastard. Last time I saw him he was being ripped  
apart by the monster's claws. Served him right!" The man erupted into raucous  
laughter that was more than slightly hysterical.  
  
"You deserted a client?" came an accusing voice from among the audience.  
  
The inebriated young mercenary rose to his feet in anger, face flushed.  
"Hey! He deserved it! The greedy sonuvabitch knew what the danger was and  
he didn't tell me! I saw what happened when the thing appeared-- he was  
planning to use me as bait all along so he can get the treasure all for  
himself!" There was a grumble of anger from the crowd at this revelation.  
Most of the patrons in the tavern were mercenaries and they all held to a  
strict code of honor. A breach of contract was punishable by death.  
  
"Sorry, man," his accuser apologized. "If that's the case then you did the  
right thing." A chorus of agreement came from the crowd. The whole common  
room buzzed with excitement, people will be talking about this story for  
a long time to come.  
  
Mollified by the apology, the mercenary sat back down to finish the last of  
his ale when a nearby commotion caused him to look up. Pushing her way  
through the crowd was a young woman with red hair, she seemed to be making  
her way towards him. He grinned lustfully, eyeing the woman up and down.  
She wasn't all that tall, only average in height, but her strides were  
long and confident. The woman's body was trim and lithe, her blue and white  
tunic flowing against her body as she walked. She moved with an eerie grace,  
unlike most women's flowing walk, hers was more like a cat on the prowl.  
The man's grin broadened as he took in the details. The redhead was obviously  
physically fit-- and the way she moved, as well as the strange ring-like  
weapons belted to her waist, told him that the woman was a mercenary like  
himself. While a female mercenary wasn't all that unusual, he knew that  
it was a rare occurrence-- not many people are suited to the life of a  
'free soldier'. Life was hard for a mercenary, all who've entered the trade  
have learned to take advantage of the few opportunities to enjoy life.  
The result of such a lifestyle was a brand of people who go to extremes when  
it comes to merrymaking-- the women as well as the men. The redhead's arrival  
was the perfect opportunity for the mercenary to forget the horrors of his  
last assignment. Oh, he could afford to visit some of the brothels in Reza,  
but that wouldn't be any fun. Besides, he'd heard some stories about women  
mercenaries... Slicking his blond hair back, the young man stood up, none  
too steadily, and turned to face the approaching redhead. The woman came  
to a stop an arm's length away from him.  
  
"Hey, babe! What can I do for you?" he asked her, putting on his most  
charming smile. The woman didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Tell me," Mint said, looking him straight in the eyes, "do you remember  
how to get to the ruins?"  
  
There was something about her eyes that held the young mercenary in place,  
purple eyes so light that they were almost pink. The intensity of those  
eyes left him breathless. "Yeah, I remember the way," he said in answer to  
her question. "But a pretty girl like you doesn't need to bother herself  
with some old ruins. My name's Kell. Why don't you join me, Red? I could show  
you a good time..." he left the suggestion hanging as he moved closer to the  
girl and wrapped his arm around her waist.  
  
Mint struggled to keep from blasting the lecherous moron with her magic.  
There were too many witnesses around, and most people didn't take too kindly  
to magic of any kind. Besides, this might be her only chance to find a relic  
and this man was the only one who knew the location. He couldn't talk if  
he was dead. She settled for slapping the man's arm from around her waist.  
  
"Keep your hands to yourself, jerk!" she hissed at him. "Listen! All I want  
is the location of the ruins. If you'll be a good little boy then maybe I  
won't hurt you."  
  
Kell's eyes widened in surprise at the threat. He laughed. "Spicy little  
wench, aren't you? I like that in a woman! Tell ya what, why don't you and  
me head upstairs to my room so we can... discuss things?" This time Kell  
didn't settle for an arm around the waist-- instead, he pulled Mint's  
outraged form against his, tilting her chin up towards his face.  
  
The nerve of that...! Mint was just about to blast him with fire magic--  
consequences be damned!-- when a thought occurred to her. The walls in the  
rooms upstairs were thick enough to muffle any sound, even a scream. Best  
of all, there were no witnesses... She smiled-- it was not a pretty smile.  
  
"Yes, let's go upstairs and... discuss things," Mint told him, her voice  
almost breathless. And people say I can't act, she thought with a mental  
smirk.  
  
If Kell was surprised at the sudden turnaround, he didn't show it. He might  
have been suspicious of the change in attitude if wasn't for Mint's body  
pressed up against his. As it was, he could barely think, alcohol and his  
nearness to a pretty girl was eroding his mind. He smiled at Mint, causing  
her to wince at the overwhelming stench of ale, and led her towards the  
stairs. "Did I ever tell you what a babe you are?"  
  
If the situation was different Mint might have been flattered by the  
compliment, or maybe not. Kell was only telling the truth, after all.  
She remained silent, mentally going over her plan step by step. They soon  
reached their destination.  
  
"Well, here we are, Red!" Kell told her, stepping into the room, waving  
his arms around expansively. "My home away from home! Been here three weeks  
already."  
  
And it looked like three weeks-- clothes strewn all over the floor, scraps  
of food everywhere, and not a single place that was unoccupied by anything  
else. Of course, Mint wasn't one to complain-- her room looked much like  
Kell's, only she had just moved in yesterday. Kell had walked over to the  
bed and was just starting to remove his leather armor when Mint put her  
plan into action. With a loud "KIYAH!" Mint jumped at the startled mercenary  
and kicked him in the chin, sending him crashing down onto the bed. Removing  
the pair of rings from around her belt she stood over him, prepared to give  
him another knock on the noggin if he so much as sneezed wrong.  
  
"OK buster! Tell me where the ruins are or else! And don't try anything  
stupid if you don't want me to kick your butt!"  
  
Kell gave a dazed groan and struggled to rise to a sitting position. "OK!  
OK! You didn't have to hit me, you know!"  
  
"Huh? Weren't you going to...? A while ago you were...?" Mint was confused.  
Why did the jerk give up so easily?  
  
"No no no!" Kell protested. "Only if you wanted to. I wasn't going to force  
you or anything-- it's against Guild rules."  
  
Mint did not like being confused. "Guild? What the Hell are you talking  
about?!"  
  
"Mercenaries' Guild. You are a mercenary, aren't you?" he asked, a puzzled  
frown on his face.  
  
"I'm a bounty hunter."  
  
"Same thing. By the way, I didn't catch your name," Kell asked, rubbing the  
sore spot where his head hit the headboard. That's gonna leave bump.  
  
Seeing that there was no danger forthcoming, Mint returned her weapon to  
her belt and looked for a place to sit. There wasn't much choice. Moving  
a pile of clothes off a chair, she answered, "Mint. You can call me Mint."  
She didn't expect the reaction she got.  
  
Kell bounded off the bed with surprising sobriety, considering the amount  
of ale he'd drunk. "My God! YOU'RE Mint?! Damn, you're famous among us!"  
  
The princess-turned-bounty hunter raised an eyebrow at him. "Famous?  
Gee, what for?"  
  
The blond man stared at her incredulously. "You don't know? You are the only  
person to ever succeed in getting the treasure from the Gahvo ruins-- and  
the Guild has been trying to get inside those ruins for years! You  
single-handedly got rid of the bandits of Sarin Pass! And-"  
  
"It was nothing, really," Mint interrupted. This was almost embarrassing,  
Kell was making such a big deal out of nothing. "Now, about that ancient ruin  
you were talking about..."  
  
"Yes, you were asking for the location of the ruins, weren't you? Well,  
I can help you with that, although I don't know why you'd want to go there--  
that place is just too dangerous. Anyway, as I was leaving the ruins I  
managed to pick this up." Kell held up a crumpled piece of paper towards  
Mint, which she took. "It's the map my former client was using."  
  
Mint examined the scribbles and diagrams on the paper she was holding then  
nodded. "Thanks a lot, Kell." She got up and turned to leave, but hesitated.  
"I... here..." She fished something out of her belt pouch and placed it in  
front of Kell.  
  
Kell looked from the twenty gold coins lying on his bed then back at Mint.  
"That's worth 50,000 G! Why are you giving it to me?"  
  
Mint fidgeted. "I... uh... the other guy said he'd pay you 100,000 G, right?  
Well, since you helped me I figured I'll pay you for it, too. I don't have  
100,000 G-- that's as much as I can afford-- but you can have it anyway."  
  
Kell was astounded. "You didn't have to pay me anything, you know. I was  
gonna help anyway. Are you sure about this, though? 50,000 G is a lot of  
money, you might need it someday."  
  
"It's okay, really," Mint assured him. "If I'm right about these ruins then  
50,000 G is a small price to pay."  
  
"If you're sure, then," Kell said slowly. Getting up, he pocketed the coins  
and walked over to look out the window. "It's getting dark; you'll have to  
wait for tomorrow before you can leave. In the meantime, why don't you join  
me and the boys downstairs for some drinks? My treat," he said, jingling the  
pouch containing the newly acquired gold coins.  
  
"After all you've drunk, you still want to drink some more?!"  
  
Kell laughed at the incredulous look on Mint's face. "Your kick seems to  
have knocked me sober. All that effort to try and get drunk-- gone with a  
kick! Besides, you really need to sign up for the Mercenaries Guild; there's  
a representative from the Guild downstairs, I'm sure he'll let you join once  
he knows who you are."  
  
"And why in the world would I want to join your Guild...?" Mint inquired as  
the blond mercenary tried to steer her in the direction of the stairs.  
  
"It might be useful, who knows?" replied Kell. "There's a Guildhouse in most  
major cities-- if you're a member, you can ask them for help."  
  
Mint thought it over. "Alright then, I'll join," she acquiesced, allowing  
herself to be led downstairs. "Now, about those drinks... Who did you say  
was paying again...?"  
  
******  
  
The next day Mint left for the Laraal Mountains a bit later than she had  
planned, owing to a bad case of 'the-night-after' syndrome. Fortunately,  
the map she had acquired made the going easier, preventing the possibility  
of having to surpass unnecessary obstacles. Right now she was more than  
halfway to the ruins; if she hurried, she might be able to make it before  
dark. Something has been bothering her about the journey so far, but she  
couldn't seem to put her finger on it. Mint shrugged and dismissed it from  
her thoughts. If she couldn't remember it then it mustn't have been all that  
important, she reasoned. Clambering over a rocky outcropping, Mint came to a  
fork in the path. She paused to consult the rather grease-stained map.  
  
"OK, which way should I go? Left? Or right? Dang, this thing's so dirty I  
can hardly read it!" She tried rubbing the map with her fingers. "Hmm...  
looks like a right to me." She rubbed the paper a bit more and leaned in  
for a closer look. "Yep, definitely right." Stuffing the map into her belt  
pouch, she took the right fork and continued her way up the mountain.  
  
Mint was determined to reach the ruins-- if her suspicion was right  
then this might well be the biggest discovery since the Dewprism! All the  
other ruins she had discovered in the past five years had yielded only  
treasure, but no relic. Oh, the treasure was nice, but it was the relic that  
Mint really wanted. Mint was sure that this ruin Kell told her about did,  
in fact, contain a relic. All the signs pointed to it. The ruin was probably  
an atelier-- a magician's workshop-- and the monster Kell had met must have  
been the atelier's Guardian. None of the ruins Mint had uncovered had held  
anything important enough to need guarding, so whatever was inside this ruin  
must be something big, like a relic. All that was needed now was for Mint to  
find the place and get the relic.  
  
By the time Mint reached the ruins it was already late in the afternoon.  
Ruin probably wasn't the right term; the whole structure was in remarkably  
good condition, the only indication of it's age being the plant life that had  
almost concealed it from view. From what she could see, the building seemed  
to have a marble-like texture, with no sign of weathering. Mint was just  
about to go through the double doors that served as the entrance when she  
finally realized what's been making her so uneasy since she started out.  
Not once has she seen or heard even a single monster.  
  
"That's strange," she mused. "Kell said there were monsters all over the  
mountain. So why haven't I seen one yet? Something's not right... but I  
can't figure out what. Hmm..." Despite her unease Mint refused to give up  
now that her goal was so close. Taking her rings from her belt, the redhead  
carefully pushed open the door and stepped inside.  
  
Her footsteps echoed hollowly off the marble-like walls of the entrance  
hall. At the other end of the hallway was a door which, according to the  
map, led to room containing the first trap-- invisible platforms. Mint  
surveyed the wide gap separating both sides of the room with ill-concealed  
amusement. Other people might have some trouble crossing the room, but not  
Mint. She had an advantage over most people-- she can use magic. Focusing  
her will, Mint pointed her arm over the gap-- the twin rings spinning crossed  
in mid-air in front of her open palm-- and summoned a bit of Blue magic.  
Droplets of water immediately rained down over the gap, some of the droplets  
splashing on what seemed like empty space.  
  
"Piece of cake," Mint proclaimed, ending the impromptu shower. Returning  
the rings to her belt, she began to cross the gap, jumping on the platforms  
revealed by the water. Taking another look at the map, she proceeded further  
into the building.  
  
The next two challenges were as easy as the first. A maze-- which Mint solved  
by the simple expedient of blasting through the walls, and an obstacle  
course-- which suffered the same fate as the maze. There were more traps  
scattered around the building, but they were mostly designed to lure people  
off the correct path. By following the map Mint eventually found herself  
outside the door to the magician's inner sanctum, the same place where Kell  
had met the Guardian. Taking a firm grip on her weapon, Mint cautiously eased  
open the door and slipped inside. She gasped.  
  
The room was just as Kell had described it. Colored in red, white, and gold,  
the entire chamber bespoke vast richness just waiting to be uncovered. Spread  
out all over what presumably was the magician's workstation were strange and  
mystical devices that only an archeologist could possibly recognize. Mint  
could barely restrain herself from leaping about in joy-- all these  
treasures, hers! And maybe... yes! There, at the far side of the chamber,  
stood the highlight of the whole collection-- a glowing scepter floating  
several inches above the table top.  
  
"The relic!" Shouting in glee, Mint bounded across the room. Reaching out  
her hands, she tried take hold of the scepter-- only to see her hand pass  
through it as if it were thin air. "Wha-what?!" She tried to grabbing the  
scepter again, with the same result. "What the Hell's going on here?!" she  
yelled.  
  
"Welcome, Princess Mint! I see you've accepted my invitation."  
  
Mint whirled in place, searching for the source of the voice. "Who are you?  
Show yourself!"  
  
"Tsk tsk tsk. How impatient! Certainly not a manner befitting a princess."  
Stepping out of the shadows in the room was a silver-haired man clad in  
a white, open-shirted tunic and black leather trousers. He sketched a  
half-bow at the redheaded princess. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name  
is Gear. I've been following your exploits for quite some time now, your  
Highness. You make a very interesting study, to say the least."  
  
"You've been following me?! But why? And what did you do to the relic?!"  
Mint demanded.  
  
"This little thing? Why, it is only an illusion. Surely you must have  
figured that out by now; I'd be most disappointed if you haven't." Waving  
a hand, Gear dispersed the illusion, revealing a barren room devoid of  
anything valuable.  
  
Mint was stunned. "But- but, the treasure! My relic! It- it can't be...  
There was a Guardian! The relic has to be real!"  
  
The silver-haired man smiled at Mint's disbelief. "That wasn't a Guardian  
your friend, the mercenary, saw but a chaos demon I summoned for my own  
purposes. My Master is very interested in you, Princess Mint, and I was  
sent to take you to Him. I knew of your desire for the relic so I created  
the map you were holding and arranged for it to fall into the hands of an  
unsuspecting traveler. I also made sure someone had survived so that word of  
these ruins would reach you. Everything was planned perfectly; you came  
reeling in like a fish after bait."   
  
"You bastard! You're not gonna get away with jerking me around like this!"  
Mint shouted. Assuming a battle stance, her rings held ready, she told him,  
"You're not taking me anywhere 'coz I'm gonna kick your butt! That map cost   
me a lot of money, and I damn well better get some treasure out of it!   
You're gonna pay-- big time!"  
  
"Oh, but your Highness, I'm not taking you anywhere... at least, not yet.  
I have to make sure that you are truly the one my Master wants, so I  
arranged a little... test."  
  
Mint had only a few seconds to ponder the meaning of his words when the  
wall next to her suddenly exploded, sending her flying across the room.  
Twisting around in midair, Mint managed to land on her feet. She looked  
back for the cause of the explosion and stared in horror at the sight.  
Standing amidst the rubble was a creature straight out of a person's  
worst nightmare. The creature was tall-- twelve, no, fifteen feet high  
at the least, and it carried with it the stench of death. The demon's wings,  
useless in such an enclosed space, lay folded on its back. It's body was  
heavily armored, though the armor seemed to be a part of the creature itself,  
and it's hands and feet ended in vicious, knife-like claws. It roared at  
the red-haired princess, ruby eyes glowing malevolently.  
  
"This, your Highness, is a chaos demon," Gear explained, "a creature older  
than time itself. If you are, in fact, the one I'm looking for then you  
shouldn't have any trouble dealing with it."  
  
"And if I'm not?" Mint asked.  
  
Gear smiled. "Then you won't have to worry about getting kidnapped."  
Turning to face the demon, he commanded, "Kill her!"  
  
The chaos demon shot across the floor with surprising speed, claws poised to  
strike. For a creature of its size the demon was remarkably fast, Mint was  
barely able to duck the claw swipes that came streaking overhead. Jumping  
back to put some distance between them, Mint paused to assess the situation.   
  
The demon was amazingly quick and agile, any normal person would have been  
killed during the initial attack. But Mint was no ordinary person. Years  
of almost constant battles has made her a formidable fighter. Speed was  
her asset, her quickness on foot more than making up for her lack of  
physical strength. The demon was faster than her, yes, but it had a severe  
disadvantage-- it's bulk made it impossible for the demon to suddenly change  
direction while attacking. Which left room for Mint to strike back.  
  
Mint charged, dodging the blows swung at her, and angled her body for a kick.  
Her foot smashed into the demon's face, followed by a strike to the chest  
from her rings. The monster staggered slightly from the blows, but quickly  
recovered to deliver a downward slash. Mint hastily backflipped to avoid  
being hit.  
  
"Dang! That thing's as hard as a rock!" Mint muttered. "I have to find it's  
weak spot... that's it!" Charging back into the fray, Mint continued to  
dance around the demon's attacks. Roaring in frustration, the demon leveled  
a mighty blow at the redhead, its fist plowing through the earth where she  
had stood. Using the monster's embedded arm as a platform, Mint catapulted  
herself over the monster's head, spinning around to strike at the its  
unprotected wings.  
  
"HYAHH!!"  
  
The demon screamed in pain as the ring-like weapon tore through the fragile  
membrane. It turned around to swat at Mint but she had already skipped out  
of range. Mint smiled in victory.  
  
"Hah! Your monster's not so tough!" she told Gear, who had been watching  
the entire battle. "After I'm done with this creep, it'll be your turn.  
You're going down!" she promised.  
  
The silver-haired man remained unmoved by her threat. "Oh, really? Did  
you actually think it would be that easy? Look again."  
  
"Wha--?" Mint turned to look at the chaos demon-- and stared in disbelief.  
The monster's wounds were healing themselves! "Looks like ugly wants to play  
some more. Well, no more miss nice little princess-- this time it's for  
real!" Mint charged up her magic, both of her rings spinning in mid-air,  
and prepared to face the oncoming threat. The demon blurred across the  
room even faster than before, claws slicing through the air.  
  
Dang! This thing is getting faster, Mint thought as she sought to avoid  
the crisscrossing series of attacks. An arm struck her in the stomach,  
sending her crashing against a wall. Slightly dazed, Mint looked up in  
time to see the monstrous form barreling towards her. Quickly summoning  
a wall of fire in the demon's path, she leapt to safety. Seeing as the  
monster had walked through the fire seemingly unharmed, she decided on  
another course of action-- close-in combat while using magic. Calling forth  
her power, Mint went on the offensive, lightning dancing around her body as  
she weaved in and out of the demon's attack range. Ducking low beneath the  
creature's reaching arms, she pointed her hand at its torso.  
  
"Graviton!" she shouted. A huge ball of crackling black energy slammed into  
the monster at point-blank range.  
  
The demon flew back from the force of the blast, its clawed feet digging  
deep furrows into the stone floor. As the monster strained to hold back the  
ball of energy, Mint was already preparing another attack. With a shout,  
arrows of fire arced out and slammed into the demon's body, detonating on  
impact and sending up great clouds of smoke. Panting heavily, Mint watched  
and waited.  
  
The smoke cleared a few seconds later. Standing amidst the rubble was the  
chaos demon, its body bruised and battered, its armor cracked. Mint's lips  
tightened in a grim smile as she moved to finish the monster off. Shards  
of ice gathered in her hand, forming a crystalline blade. She swung at the  
demon, the diamond-hard edge cutting through armor like a hot knife through  
butter. Roaring with pain and rage, the demon slashed at the girl. Jumping  
back from the pitifully slow attack, Mint readied herself to deliver the  
finishing blow when the creature suddenly crouched down, its mouth wide  
open. A beam of energy shot from the demon's maw and engulfed the princess.  
Mint screamed in pain as her body crashed against a wall and through it as  
the demon continued its assault. Dust and debris went flying everywhere as  
the redhead was blasted through wall after wall. Finally, the attack ended.  
All was silent save for the sound of Mint's broken rings falling to the  
ground.  
  
Gear surveyed the devastation with disappointment. "I guess she wasn't the  
one after all. A pity." He turned to leave.  
  
"It's not... over... yet..."  
  
"WHAT?!" He turned around in shock. Farther down the hall, cuts and bruises  
all over her body, was Mint. A barrier of pure magical energy surrounded  
her.  
  
Mint glared at the silver-haired man. "You're not getting away that easily...  
I won't let you!" she said as she aimed her hand. Golden energy began to  
gather around her open palm.  
  
"HAAAHHHHHHH!!!"  
  
A beam stronger than anything seen before blasted through the open area,  
reducing the chaos demon to nothing in a matter of seconds. The blast  
continued outward, destroying what was left of the ancient ruins, before  
dissipating. Mint fell to her knees, her energy spent.  
  
"Amazing! The Master was right, you _are_ the one," came a voice from up  
above.  
  
Mint gasped and looked up to see Gear floating in the air. She struggled  
to get up, trying to summon every last ounce of magic. It was no use, her  
strength had left her. Her head spun and her vision blurred.   
  
"No..."  
  
And her world went white.  
  
******  
  
End Chapter 1  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
CREDITS:  
I would like to thank my pre-reader Leonis(Leonis472@aol.com) for all the  
help he gave me while I was writing this story. He convinced me to change  
the timeline to 5 years after the game instead of my originally planned  
2 years(I agreed with his reasoning). He also helped fix some of the  
dialogues as well as making sure that everything was coherent and believable.  
There were some very good theories, and plot ideas he and I came up with  
during our discussions that I plan to include in my later chapters(I won't  
tell you what they were so you won't be spoiled). Basically, he helped make  
this story better than it was; I owe a lot to him. Thanks, Leo.  
  
AUTHOR RANTS:  
So, here it is-- Chapter 1(more like prologue, really) of my very first  
Threads of Fate fan-fiction. As you probably know by now, Darkening Threads  
is a serious fic, with little to none of the comedy which made the game  
such a hit. Why I wrote it that way is a mystery, even to myself. I do know  
that I've been influenced by fantasy books like Wheel of Time and the  
Dragonlance saga. I like the concept of a climactic battle between good  
and evil, so I'm trying to see how well I'd do in writing something like  
that.  
  
So tell me... how well did I do? Did the fight scene work? I'll gladly  
accept any comments or suggestions you can give me. Just email me,  
or visit my website. (*Please, oh please visit my website*)  
  
Stay tuned for the next chapter of Darkening Threads. Soon to arrive in a  
theater near you. ^_^  
  
-Lyn Chan  



	2. A Fallen Kingdom

Darkening Threads  
A Threads of Fate fan-fiction  
by Lyn Chan  
  
Disclaimer: Threads of Fate(Dewprism in Japan) and all its characters  
are the rightful property of Squaresoft. Everything else that wasn't  
part of the game is all mine. All events portrayed bear no relation  
to actual incidents - any similarities are entirely coincidental.  
Kudos to all RPG designers for creating such wonderful and engaging  
games for the avid RPG buff. Nothing beats a good RPG!  
  
Not too many people know about the really, REALLY great game known as  
Threads of Fate, which is a shame really, since they don't know what  
they're missing. Most of you who are reading this are probably already  
familiar with the game, but I'm sure there are also some who are not.  
But don't worry, I'll try to make it so that anyone can enjoy the  
story whether you've played the game or not. There may be possible  
game spoilers in my fic, so consider yourself warned.  
  
Lair of the Lynx  
http://www.geocities.com/the_lynx2001/   
E-mail: the_lynx2001@yahoo.com  
  
**!!WARNING!!** SOME LANGUAGE AND SITUATIONS IN THIS FIC MAY NOT  
BE SUITABLE FOR A YOUNG AUDIENCE, PARENTAL GUIDANCE IS ADVISED!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 2: A Fallen Kingdom  
  
A single lantern lit the room, the dim light casting shadows that danced with  
the flickering flame, providing an eerie backdrop to the subdued richness of  
the study chamber. The room's sole occupant, a redhead in her early twenties,  
took no notice of the dancing shadows, instead settling herself into a  
plushly cushioned chair by the desk. She picked up a paper from the desktop,  
frowning ever so slightly as she read its contents. With a sigh of disgust,  
she set the offending sheet back down, rubbing her temples to ward off the  
impending headache.  
  
"This is useless... I'll never get any work done!" Princess Maya complained.  
The young heir to East Heaven's throne removed another piece of paper from  
the pile on her desk. It was a letter from a foreign merchant requesting an  
audience with the princess to discuss a trade proposal. "Hmm... this looks  
promising. We can always use more trade... At least it's not another  
settlement dispute from a disgruntled farmer or something like that..." she  
paused, "Great! Now I'm talking to myself! And this headache is killing me!  
Whoever invented bureaucracy must have been evil; I hate paperwork!" Maya  
dropped the sheet back onto the desk. Stretching in her chair, she willed  
herself to relax.  
  
It has been a busy day for the Crown Princess. Little more than a year ago  
her father, the king, had fallen ill-- the doctors said it was a heart  
attack. It wasn't fatal-- a normal person would have bounced right back to  
perfect health-- but the king wasn't a normal person. His Majesty's usual  
diet-- ten meals a day!-- rendered him more susceptible to heart ailments  
than most people would have been. For East Heaven's king, the relatively mild  
heart attack was devastating. The king's body, weakened by the illness, began  
to deteriorate. There was nothing the doctors could do. Even healing spells  
were useless-- the king's condition was not an illness or an injury to be  
cured but a product of nature. Eventually he was incapacitated, unable to  
rule, and all burdens of kingship was passed on to his heir. Maya refused to  
be crowned queen, believing in her heart that her father would someday  
recover, so she was granted regency over all affairs of state instead. It  
was an exhausting job and Maya was just beginning to understand the  
difficulties involved in running a country-- even one as small as East  
Heaven Kingdom. In a way, she was glad for the experience... if only that  
experience hadn't come with such a high price. Since then her days were all  
spent busily trying to keep the country running smoothly. Stress was a common  
acquaintance; at the end a day Princess Maya was usually strung as taut as  
a wire. But recently, another burden was added to her list of worries. It  
involved her sister...  
  
A knock on the door jolted Maya from her reverie. Frowning at the  
interruption, she arranged the papers on the desk into some semblance of  
order and called out, "Come in!" The door to her study gently slid open and  
an elderly figure walked into the room. The princess' eyes lit up the sight  
of him.  
  
"Gramps! What perfect timing! I was just about to take a short break from all  
the paperwork. So. What can I do for you?" Maya asked her friend and tutor,  
a man she affectionately called 'Gramps', though he bore no relation to her.  
The old man stayed silent, as if considering how to tell her something; his  
face was grim. Maya felt a tingle of apprehension rush through her. Something  
bad must have happened, Gramps looked as if someone had died... No!  
  
"Something's happened. What is it? Gramps? Tell me!" Maya pleaded, hoping  
against hope that her fears were wrong.  
  
The old man visibly struggled to hold back his emotions. It would not do for  
him to lose control. He had to tell her, the princess had to know... "Y-your  
highness," he choked out, "I have terrible news. It's about His Majesty.  
He is..." He paused, too overcome to speak any further.  
  
"No! Please, tell me he's not dead! Father can't be dead..." the young  
princess threw herself into the old man's arms, sobbing as she clutched at  
the folds of his garment. "Please..."  
  
Gramps rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. "No, the king is not dead." Maya  
lifted her eyes at him hopefully. Gramps almost lost the courage to tell her  
the rest of it. To crush that hope... But no, it must be done. "His Majesty  
has had another heart attack today," he told Maya gently. "It has weakened  
him severely. I'm sorry, princess, but the doctors don't expect him to live  
for much longer. He is asking for you now, he wants to see you."  
  
Maya sniffed back her tears. She knew that this day would come sooner or  
later despite how much she had wished otherwise. Her father was still alive--  
for how long, she didn't know-- but she would not face him like a sniveling  
child. She was a princess of East Heaven, the heir to the throne, and she  
would face her father with a pride worthy of her station. Her father deserved  
no less. She lifted her chin high, a fragile smile on her lips, and turned to  
the man who was her guardian, mentor, and friend.  
  
"Take me to him, if you please. I want to see him as well."  
  
******  
  
The king's quarters felt like a mausoleum, so thick was the scent of the  
herbal incense. Maya shuddered at the sickly-sweet odor; the incense seemed  
to hint of things to come, things that she would rather not contemplate.  
Slowly, carefully, she approached the figure that lay on the massive canopied  
bed, keeping a tight rein on her emotions. Kneeling beside the bed, she  
tentatively reached out a hand and lightly brushed her fingers across the  
king's brow. "Father...?"  
  
A tremor seemed to shake the figure on the bed. Turning his head to face  
her, the old king lifted his hand to lightly stroke his daughter's cheek  
before wearily dropping back down. "Maya..." His voice was barely above a  
whisper. "I'm glad you came. I'm afraid I don't have much time-"  
  
"No, father," Maya interrupted fiercely, "you're not going to die. You *will*  
recover. You'll see."  
  
The king managed a sad smile at the fierceness of Maya's tone. "You and I  
both know that's not true. My time has come, but yours is just beginning. I  
know that my end is near and I have one request to make."  
  
"Anything, father. I'll do whatever you want," Maya told him, her voice  
trembling with suppressed emotions.  
  
"You are twenty-one years old, Maya, it's high time you became queen. You've  
put it off long enough, there is no reason for you to refuse it any longer.  
Time is short; I want to see you crowned queen before-" He broke off, unable  
to continue. Maya understood what the king left unsaid, the bond between  
father and daughter transcending words. "My daughter... I wish I could be  
there to guide you... but the fates have decreed otherwise. You will be a  
good ruler, that I know." The king's gaze fixed on her face, drinking in the  
features of his youngest child. Her face, so like her mother-- "I'm so proud  
of you Maya-- you and your sister. If only your mother was still alive to  
see how much you've grown." He smiled in remembrance of his dead wife. "I  
will be joining her soon."  
  
"Don't talk like that, father," Maya gently scolded. "It's not like you to  
give up."  
  
"Why not? It's the truth," her father argued back. "And I am not giving up,  
I just don't fear death anymore. My life has been a full one and I'm grateful  
for it, but now it is time to let go. I hope you understand, Maya, that even  
when I'm gone I will always be with you."  
  
Maya reached down for her father's hand, her fingers entwining with his. "I-I  
understand, father. It's just... so hard to... think that-" Her grip  
tightened, eyes the color of a summer sky glittering with unshed tears.  
  
"Then don't think about it," the king advised. Seeing as his daughter was not  
calming down, he cast about for a change in topic-- anything to distract Maya  
from her sadness. "So, have you heard from your sister lately?" he asked  
rather casually.  
  
Maya's tears instantly dried and her face grew stony. "Who cares what that  
lazy good-for-nothing does! She runs off without so much as a by-your-leave,  
with no regard to the consequence of her actions, and she thinks that an  
occasional letter makes everything all right! She's not fit to be a  
princess!"  
  
The king's eyes widened at Maya's outburst. Maybe this was a wrong choice of  
topic, he mused. Still, he needed to placate his daughter before things got  
any worse. "Come now, Maya, it's not all that bad. Mint needed to find her  
own destiny; this is just how she does it."  
  
"Her destiny is here in East Heaven!" Maya insisted.   
  
"No, *your* destiny lies in East Heaven. Mint was born for a different  
purpose. What that purpose may be, I don't know, but I know that it does not  
lie here. You may think that your sister abandoned you but that's not true.  
Mint may be stubborn, and prideful, but think-- would she have left if she  
did not believe you were capable of ruling a country?" the king reproved.  
Maya averted her eyes ashamedly. "For all your fighting and arguing I know  
that you love each other. Sibling rivalry is natural, but there will come a  
time when you will have to put aside your differences and work together."  
  
"How can you say that when all she does is run away from her  
responsibilities?" Maya asked heatedly." She is a princess of East Heaven,  
she can't just go haring off to who knows where! I had thought... I had  
thought that after Carona she would have changed, but no! She is still as  
selfish as ever!" Glaring at her father with narrowed eyes Maya paused for  
breath, struggling for calm. Several moments later she looked away, then  
continued in a softer voice, "She should have stayed, East Heaven needs  
her... I need her... I can't do this alone-- I'm not strong like Mint..."   
  
"So that's it," the king nodded in realization. "You still doubt your own  
ability."  
  
"Well, it's true. I almost brought East Heaven to ruin... If only I had  
Mint's strength, then maybe things might have been different."  
  
"Maya, that was five years ago, and it wasn't your fault. The whole nation  
was deceived by Doll Master's lies, myself included. And who says you are  
not strong? Just because you are not your sister doesn't mean you don't  
have strength on your own. Who was it that kept the whole country running  
for the past year? You. You have the strength to be a true ruler, Maya, so  
don't doubt yourself. I believe in you, and I know your sister does, too."  
  
Maya returned her father's encouraging smile, her mind mulling over the  
import of his words. "Maybe... maybe you're right, father. I don't know what  
came over me. It's just that... sometimes I feel so overshadowed by my  
sister. Strange, isn't it? That I would feel that way about Mint."  
  
"It's not so strange, really. She is your big sister, after all; it's natural  
that you would look up to her as a role model," the king said.  
  
"Some role model!" Maya laughed, lifting a hand to hide her smile. "She's  
not exactly the ideal of princessly decorum. But she *is* popular among the  
common folk, especially since her return from Carona. Would you believe that  
there's a 'Princess Mint Fan Club' in the city?"  
  
The king joined Maya in laughter, however weakly. "That's my Mint!" he  
exclaimed. A few seconds later, after he calmed down, he asked, "So, about my  
question...?"  
  
"Huh? What question was that?" Maya asked, nonplussed.  
  
"About whether you've heard from Mint lately," he reminded her.  
  
"Oh." Maya lost her smile, her expression turning grave. "I'm sorry father  
but there's been no word."  
  
Maya's father sighed in disappointment. "How long has it been since her last  
letter? Three months?"  
  
"Yes, father."  
  
The king was worried. Three months without any contact from his eldest  
daughter was not a good sign. Mint was usually prompt with her correspondence  
these days. What could have happened? "Have you tried contacting that boy she  
usually goes with? What was his name again?"   
  
"Rue?" Maya guessed. "We already sent him a letter by courier. His reply  
hasn't arrived yet."  
  
"I was hoping I could see her one last time." The king lapsed into silence,  
his eyes closed. A few seconds later, he continued, "I just hope that Mint  
is all right, wherever she may be."  
  
"I'm sure she's all right, father. This is Mint we're talking about." Maya  
looked down on her father as he rested on the cushioned bed. She patted his  
arm affectionately. "Get some rest, father. Tomorrow is a big day for you."  
  
Her father turned to look at her, his gaze intense. "So you'll do it? You'll  
accept the crown?"  
  
"Yes. Now go to sleep," she commanded. She waited until the king was lost  
in slumber before leaving the room, closing the door softly behind her.  
Outside, Gramps was waiting for her. Meeting his inquiring gaze, Maya relayed  
her father's request.  
  
"Make ready for my coronation tomorrow," she ordered.  
  
"But- but princess, it takes at least a week to prepare for a coronation!  
There's no way we could be ready by tomorrow," Gramps protested.  
  
"The ceremony will be tomorrow." Maya's tone brooked no argument. She glanced  
back at the closed door she had just recently exited. Gramps caught the look  
Maya gave the king's quarters and his expression brightened in understanding.  
  
"As you wish, princess," he said, bowing slightly. "Tomorrow it shall be."  
  
"Good." Maya nodded curtly then walked off towards her room. Entering the  
lavishly decorated apartment, she headed over to the bed and sat down, her  
heart lying heavy within her chest. Glancing at her reflection in the  
full-length mirror across the room, Maya took note of her appearance--  
shoulders bowed with burden and eyes red from tears that remained unshed.  
She stared at her reflection for several seconds, then suddenly collapsed on  
the bed as heavy sobs shook her body.  
  
******  
  
It was the strangest coronation ceremony East Heaven has ever seen; what was  
supposed to be a joyous occasion was instead shrouded by a feeling of tense  
anticipation. With so little time for preparation, the decorations in and  
around the castle was not as extravagant as the organizers would have liked.  
Still, they had managed to put up a fair number of streamers and brightly  
colored ribbons in honor of the occasion. There was no time to make any  
public announcements regarding the coronation but nevertheless the people  
of East Heaven had turned up in droves to witness the crowning of their  
newest ruler, having learned about the upcoming ceremony through the fastest  
medium, word of mouth. People crowded into the throne room, which was chosen  
as the venue of the coronation. Seated at the massive throne was the old king  
who, despite protests from his daughter and the High Council, insisted on  
performing the ceremony. Off to the side of the throne stood the various  
ministers and members of the High Council who would be affirming Princess  
Maya's succession.   
  
The whole chamber waited with bated breath for Princess Maya's appearance,  
eager to see the woman who would soon be their queen. The trumpets blared  
to life, striking up a regal marching tune as the doors to the throne room  
flew open. Framed by the huge doors was a feminine figure garbed in a  
beautiful dress of purple, blue, and white-- the royal colors. Princess Maya  
glided into the room, walking up the aisle to stand before her liege and  
lord. She looked into her father's eyes as she knelt before him, seeing a man  
weakened by illness yet undefeated by all he had suffered. She hoped that  
someday she could be as strong as him. The pride in the king's eyes as he  
gazed upon his daughter was evident to all who watched. After a few moments  
of silent rapport between father and daughter, the king began to speak.  
  
"Citizens of East Heaven! You have gathered here today to witness a momentous  
occasion. From this day forth East Heaven shall have a new ruler! It is  
granted to me as your King and sovereign to present you with my successor,  
Princess Maya!" the king proclaimed, his words reaching the farthest corners  
of the room. He picked up a jeweled crown from its resting place on a cushion  
nearby then turned to the kneeling princess.  
  
"Will you accept the crown of the rightful Queen?"  
  
Maya never hesitated. "Yes, I will."  
  
"Then speak your vow," the king commanded, satisfaction in his tone of voice.  
  
"I, Maya of East Heaven Kingdom, do solemnly swear upon my honor to rule for  
truth and justice for the welfare of the people, to guard the land against  
all evils, to uphold the laws of God and State, and to bear the burdens of  
of leadership without rest or fail. This I vow," Maya declared in a voice  
filled with confidence.  
  
Her father's face was wreathed in smiles as he gently place the crown atop  
her head. Taking her by the hand, the king helped her to her feet. "Then  
rise and rule, Queen Maya of East Heaven!"  
  
The whole room burst into cheers, filling the entire chamber with voices  
raised in exultation. Maya stood, giving her father's hand a squeeze, and  
turned to face her subjects. She stepped forward, eliciting another round  
of enthused shouts, and smiled and waved at the crowd. Wanting her father to  
share in the moment Maya turned around, a smile on her lips. Her smile died  
as she beheld the sight before her, her face going deathly pale. Her father's  
face was a mask of pain, his hand clutched claw-like to his chest. Slowly--  
ever so slowly-- he toppled over. With a cry, Maya rushed toward the fallen  
king, cradling his body gently in her arms. From behind her the crowd grew  
silent, aware that something was very, very wrong.  
  
"Father! No! Father! Somebody do something!" Maya screamed. A team of  
physicians waiting in the outskirts of the room rushed to her position,  
instantly checking for signs of life. There was a flurry of activity at the  
foot of the throne, medical instruments being wielded by expert hands and  
orders being shouted. A while later, the head physician shook his head sadly  
at the stunned young queen, giving her a look of compassion. Maya stared at  
him in disbelief. Slowly, the truth of the matter sunk in and Maya gave a  
keening cry of grief, hugging her father tightly in her arms.  
  
"No... no... Father!!"  
  
******  
  
Maya's first official act after being crowned was to organize her father's  
funeral. It was an elaborate affair, even more so that her coronation  
had been; it was her last gift and farewell to the man she called father.  
After the requisite three days of mourning Maya went back to work-- a country  
cannot be left without leadership for too long, and she knew it. It wasn't  
a difficult matter for her to assume the reigns of queenship-- after all, she  
had already been essentially ruling the kingdom for almost a year before  
her coronation. The only thing that had changed was that now people were  
addressing her as 'your Majesty' instead of 'your highness'. It took some  
getting used to; every time someone started saying 'your Majesty' she kept  
expecting her father to walk in. But, she adjusted well to her new status  
and soon it was as if she had been a queen her whole life. Three weeks soon  
passed.  
  
It was mid-afternoon, the people of East Heaven bustling about in what was  
the busiest time of the day. In the marketplace vendors hawked their wares,  
voices raised above the din of crowd, imploring and cajoling potential  
customers to come view their merchandise. Here and there came cries of  
"... come and see! Finest silks, imported from Orava!" or "Ceramics! Jars  
and vases of the highest quality! Straight from the furnaces of the Nil  
Kohva!" Elsewhere in the city craftsmen plied their trade, their finished  
works displayed on shop windows for merchants and traders to peruse.  
Eventually, those same products will find themselves on foreign markets where  
the demand for them is high. In the city's center were numerous bars and  
cafeterias, all readying themselves for the soon-to-be arriving students  
from the nearby Academy of Magic.  
  
In her study chamber in the castle, Maya also was busy. She had just  
concluded a successful meeting with the ambassador from Khara regarding  
diplomatic and trade issues between their two countries. Maya was rather  
satisfied with how things had turned out; she had managed to cement an  
alliance with Khara as well as negotiate a much-needed trade contract.  
Currently, she was examining a copy of the document detailing the treaty,  
searching for possible loopholes that the ambassador might have  
inadvertently-- or advertently, for that matter-- left behind. Satisfied  
for the moment that the contract was airtight, Maya returned the sheaf of  
papers to its place on the desk just as someone knocked on the door, asking  
for entrance. Granting her permission, Maya waited for her visitor to enter.  
  
The study room's door opened to reveal a sandy-haired young man of slightly  
above average height dressed in a long, white coat-jacket that was heavily  
trimmed in gold and black designs. His bearing was proud, even aloof, as he  
stood before his queen. In his hands were several sheets of paper as well  
as a travel-stained envelope. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing slightly.  
  
"Ah, Court Magician Raen," Maya greeted the new arrival. "What can I do for  
you?"  
  
"Here," Raen said, handing over the papers. "The High Council told me to  
give these to you once they learned that I was going to see you, your  
Majesty."  
  
"So they made you their errand boy?" Maya laughed as she set the papers  
alongside the stack already on her desk. "What are these anyway?"  
  
Raen was not amused. "Bills, petitions. I didn't really look. Oh, yes. The  
envelope is supposed to be a letter from someone named Rue."  
  
"Really?!" Maya exclaimed, her expression hopeful. Tearing open the envelope,  
she quickly scanned the contents of Rue's letter, her expression falling as  
she read further.  
  
"Bad news?" Raen inquired.  
  
"No news, which is worse than bad news," the redhead explained. "At least  
with bad news we'd know what happened. This uncertainty is..."  
  
"I assume this matter is important?"  
  
"Very important," Maya agreed. "It concerns my sister. You know that my  
sister is missing, don't you? Well, this letter is from a friend of ours.  
I was hoping that he knew of Mint's whereabouts but apparently he is as  
clueless as the rest of us."  
  
"So we still don't know where Princess Mint is..." Raen concluded. "Well,  
it's not as bad as it might have been, your Majesty. This way there's still  
hope, and, knowing your sister, I'm sure she's alive."  
  
"I hope you're right," Maya sighed. Suddenly a thought occurred to her.  
"Oh, Lord Raen, I forgot what this must be like for you! You're Mint's  
friend, are you not? Weren't you classmates at the Academy? You must be as  
worried as I am."  
  
"I suppose you could call us friends, of sorts," Raen conceded hesitantly.  
"Yes, we did go to the same class-- Advanced Magic under Master Bergold-- but  
we were classmates only for the month that your sister actually attended.  
And yes, I am worried-- as is everyone else who knows about it-- but not  
overly so; I'm sure Princess Mint will survive whatever had happened."  
  
Maya nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's her all right-- resilient, just like  
a cockroach." She folded Rue's letter back into the envelope and laid it on  
the table. "Was that all you came to see me for, Lord Raen?"  
  
"Yes, you Majes- Wait! No, I almost forgot. The reason I came here in the  
first place was to inform you of something that may be important. The  
Magician's Council has detected an incredibly powerful storm a few miles off  
the eastern coast. Reports say it's due to arrive sometime around midnight."  
  
"That certainly is bad news," Maya commented, "but not really something that  
would make the Court Magician come running to tell me in person. Storms are  
not unusual, especially at this time of year, so there must be something more  
to it."  
  
"Your Majesty is very astute," Raen complimented. "You are right, there is  
something more. This storm is no ordinary storm; all evidence suggests that  
the weather may have been tampered with."  
  
"You mean someone *created* this storm!" Maya asked incredulously. "But  
that's insane! Any type of tampering could disrupt weather patterns all over  
the world. The effects would be disastrous! Who would do such a thing?"  
  
"Believe me, I was as stunned as you are when I learned of it. But I did  
confirm it myself, the storm is indeed artificial. As for who did it... He  
must have been a genius-- as far as I could tell, there were *no* disruptions  
in the weather patterns whatsoever! This was as perfect a spell as I've ever  
seen." Raen sounded almost admiring.  
  
"Well! Genius or not, whoever created this storm cannot possibly have good  
intentions," Maya huffed. "Lord Raen! Organize the Magician's Council. Have  
them prepare for any eventuality; we must not take any chances regarding this  
matter. Perhaps you should inform the apprentices and novices, too. In the  
meantime, I'll have the military prepare for emergency operations. Artificial  
or not, this is still a storm, so we must be vigilant."  
  
Raen sketched a bow. "As you will, your Majesty. I shall leave at once." Maya  
waited for the door to close behind the departing magician before ringing a  
bell to summon a pageboy to her room. She had to act quickly before it was  
too late.  
  
******  
  
Gale-force winds buffeted the capital city of East Heaven Kingdom as night  
fell all across the land. Along the city walls sentries routinely patrolled  
the area under the protection of weather-resistant cloaks, their covered  
lanterns bobbing in the wind. It was close to midnight and the storm had  
reached its peak. The people of the city remained indoors, houses shuttered  
against the rain and wind. All was silent save for the howling of the storm.  
A cloaked figure entered one of the sentry towers that dotted the city walls.  
Setting his lantern on a nearby table, the soldier vainly tried to shake the  
water from his cloak as he shed the soaked garment. Failing success, he  
settled instead for hanging the cloak on a wooden peg by the door then went  
to sit with the other soldiers who had sought shelter in the tower.  
  
"Rough night, ain't it?" one of the tower's occupants said to the new  
arrival.  
  
"The worst," he agreed. "No one in his right mind would be out in a storm  
like this, so why're we out patrolling when we could at home, warm and comfy?  
And dry."  
  
"Heck, if I know," interspersed a third voice. "Heard there was some ruckus  
among the higher ups. They all seem ta be worried or something."  
  
"Yeah, I heard that too," said the second man. "I tried asking my superior  
about that and all he said was 'Watch for anything unusual,' whatever that  
means."  
  
"'Unusual' huh? Wonder what that could be." For a while all was silent as  
each of them tried to figure out what had gotten their superiors all riled  
up. Outside, the storm continued to rage unabated. Suddenly, a strong gust of  
wind blew open one of the tower's windows, chilling the room's occupants.  
The soldier nearest the window got up to close it again. As he struggled to  
close the shutters against the wind he happened to glance out the window,  
then stared.  
  
"Hey guys!" he shouted. "You've got to see this!"  
  
"Huh? What is it, Von?" asked a soldier from the bench. He walked over to  
the where Von stood and looked outside.  
  
"Holy-!" His startled exclamation drew the attention of the other soldiers.  
They, too, went to take look.  
  
"What in Hell is that?!" someone demanded. In the field beyond the city gates  
were monstrous shapes rising from the earth itself. The creatures were a  
mixture of rock and metal and their armored body was ridged in sharp spikes.  
They looked vaguely human, or perhaps a caricature of a human, their features  
pronounced and exaggerated. Eight feet in height, each monster carried with  
it a weapon, usually an axe or mace, that it wielded with astonishing ease.  
  
"My God! They're trying to break down the gates." It was true. Crowding  
around the entrance, the creatures methodically hammered the steel reinforced  
gates, each blow shaking the walls to its foundation. The soldiers stared in  
horrified fascination as the assault continued, then one man, a sergeant,  
gathered his wits together.  
  
"Somebody, sound the alarm! You," he ordered, pointing at Von, "go get some  
reinforcements. The rest of us will try to prevent them from getting through.  
Everybody! Hop to it!" There was a flurry of activity as soldiers rushed to  
brace the gates with poles, logs, anything they could find. A bell rung  
frantically from the top of the tower, echoing into the stormy night as other  
sentry posts took up the alarm. The storm's fury was almost drowned out by  
the alarm bells. Nearby residents, awakened by the furor, hastened into the  
streets to see what the matter was. Suddenly, an ominous creaking noise was  
heard from above the chaos of the night. Then, the walls of the city burst  
under the strain of the invaders might. Swarms of the nightmare creatures  
rushed through the narrow streets of the city, sending people fleeing for  
their lives in panic. Reinforcements from the barracks soon arrived in time  
to lend their aid to the harried defenders as they sought to repel the  
invading army of monsters. Ranks and ranks of East Heaven's militia clashed  
with the unending wave of rock creatures as weapons flashed on both sides,  
the ringing of steel on steel echoing in the midnight darkness. The battle  
raged on unrelenting.  
  
******  
  
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The city is under attack!" yelled a servant  
as he burst into the queen's study room, gasping for breath. At his words  
Maya shot up from her chair with alacrity, her expression unreadable.  
  
"We're under attack?! By whom?" she demanded urgently.  
  
"By monsters, your Majesty. That's all I know," the man supplied.  
  
"So, it has begun," Maya said to herself. "Summon all the members of the High  
Council. Tell them there will be a meeting in the council chamber right away.  
At once, do you understand? Pull them from their beds if you have to. And  
summon lord Raen to the meeting as well. What are you waiting for? Go!" She  
watched as the servant scurried off to carry out her orders. Putting on an  
overcoat, Maya left as well, hurrying to the council chamber to await the  
arrival of East Heaven's highest officials.  
  
As Maya sat down to take a seat at the head of the table, the first of the  
council members started arriving, quickly taking their respective places at  
the long, rectangular table that was at the center of the room. Once everyone  
was seated, Maya called for order. Looking around, she noticed that most of  
the councilors wore slightly rumpled clothes, suggesting that they had not  
gone to bed but had, instead, stayed awake. That pleased the young queen,  
knowing that her government stayed alert at this time of crisis. Why, even  
lord Raen and the Lord General of East Heaven's army, General Hardin, were  
wet, as if they've just been out in the city.  
  
"Gentlemen," she began. "As you all probably know by now, East Heaven is  
under attack. What we don't know is who commanded these attacks, and why. But  
that can wait. What we must concern ourselves with is how to repel these  
invaders. General Hardin, what is the current status of the invasion?"  
  
"Well, thanks to your timely warning, your Majesty, the military was able to  
respond quickly to the attacks. But we did not expect the exact nature of  
these attackers, so our soldiers were ill-equipped to deal with these  
monstrosities. It took at least a squad of my men just to bring down one of  
these creatures. At best, we were able to hold them off for a few minutes, at  
least until the magicians arrived."  
  
Raen took over the narration at this point. "Yes, our magicians were better  
able to deal with the invaders. The army did a good job of herding the  
monsters into the narrow streets, making them easy targets for my magicians.  
If we keep going on as we have, we may even be able to stop the invaders from  
going any further into the city." Murmurs of approval raced around the room.  
  
"That is good news," the Minister of Finance said. "Lord Raen, I have not  
seen monsters such as these before. Do you have any idea as to what they  
are?"  
  
The magician shook his head negatively. "I'm afraid not, my lord. These  
creatures were created by magic."  
  
"First, a magical storm, and now creatures made with magic! An elaborate  
plan, but one doomed to failure, thanks to the courageous efforts of lord  
Raen and General Hardin," said a blue-robed member of the High Council.  
  
"I'm afraid it's not that easy," Maya interrupted. "Why would someone bother  
to conjure a storm if all he wanted was to provide cover for the invasion?  
The invasion would have been better off without the storm; as it is, all he  
did was provide us with some warning. I fear there is a bigger plot afoot,  
something that makes the storm a necessity."  
  
"I agree with her Majesty," Raen added. "All evidence indicates that this is  
the work of a master magician. We must assume that there may be more to this  
invasion than what we've seen so far."  
  
"So you're saying that this is not the worst of it?" asked General Hardin.  
"Then what can we do?"  
  
"Wait," advised Maya. "All we can do is wait. But we must not be idle; our  
first priority must be the safety of the people. General, have some of your  
men evacuate the residents from the besieged sections of the city. Find  
shelter for them in or near the castle. Right now, this is the safest place  
in the whole city. Lord Raen, put your magicians on alert. They are our best  
defense against this enemy." Both the general and the Court Magician nodded.  
"The rest of you, I would prefer it if you stayed in the castle. Bring your  
families to the castle if you wish but remember to stay close." There was  
a general murmur of acceptance from around the table.  
  
"Very well, then. Everyone dismissed."  
  
As everyone left the room, Maya remained sitting as she thought about the  
current crisis facing her kingdom. Who could have done this? And why? The  
level of magic involved in an operation like this bespoke a mastery of the  
magical forces unseen since the Age of Aeons. Could it be...? But no, Valen's  
gone... Isn't he? All the Aeons are dead. But... who else has the power to  
do this? She stared at her clenched hands as if they held the answers she  
sought. Growling in frustration, Maya cast her thoughts aside as she moved   
towards the balcony, intent on viewing her nation's plight with her own eyes.  
Outside, the storm still raged, its fury unabated. Maya wondered what purpose  
the storm could possibly serve. Looking down over the streets of the city,  
the young queen saw hordes of people fleeing towards the safety of the castle  
grounds, assisted by the soldiers. Occasionally, brief flashes of light shone  
from where the nation's best magicians continued their decimation of the  
enemy forces. Maya stood there, watching the battle, wishing there was more  
that she could do. A slight scuffing noise sounded to her left, alerting her  
to the fact that she wasn't alone on the balcony. She glanced at the new  
arrival and saw the Court Magician staring sadly over at the distressed city  
below them.  
  
"In the one thousand years of East Heaven's history, not once have we been  
attacked outright," Raen said, his voice grim. "Too many nations have feared  
our strength and magical ability. But now, things have changed. We have grown  
placid, I fear, too confident in our reputation. Now we pay the price of  
complacency."  
  
"I will *not* let this be the end of East Heaven!" Maya declared. "It's true  
that we have grown complacent-- I acknowledge that-- but we are far from  
weak. We will survive this!"  
  
Raen murmured an assent to Maya's words. "But we haven't seen the worst of  
the attacks yet, your Majesty."  
  
"That's true. Do you have any ideas on what the... finale could be?" Maya  
asked him.  
  
"No. No idea. But maybe- Wait! Do you feel that?" Raen's fingers clutched  
tightly at the balcony railings, his knuckles going white from the strain.  
He was staring upwards.  
  
"Feel what?" Maya asked, looking around for the cause of Raen's distress.  
"I don't feel anything."  
  
"The magical index of the storm has just risen," the magician explained.  
"Someone is pouring power into it. It looks like we'll get to see the finale  
of this whole mess very soon." The both of them stared intently at the storm.  
  
"Is it just me or is the storm getting stronger?" Maya asked.  
  
"No, it's not just you. The storm *is* getting stronger," Raen replied.  
  
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew against the balcony, almost sending Maya flying  
over the edge. Raen caught her just in time and they crouched down, braced  
against each other and the railing for support. The wind continued to blow  
just as the rain increased in intensity. Cautiously, they peaked over the  
edge of the balcony railing. On the far side of the city the soldiers and  
magicians continued to engage the enemy. As Raen and Maya watched from the  
castle, the roof of a nearby house was ripped off and sent flying towards  
a cluster of the city's defenders. Maya gasped in horror as the structure  
crashed into the hapless people, burying most of them under its weight. The  
remaining survivors tried to flee but the monsters they were holding off  
quickly took advantage of the situation. Not many escaped. Elsewhere, a group  
of soldiers and magicians waited in ambush for the approaching invaders.  
Just as they were about to begin the ambush, a strong gust of wind rose up  
around them, sending them crashing against each other. They struggled to get  
up but the wind kept pushing them down. Then, just as the wind began to  
relent, bolts of lightning rained down on the people, leaving behind nothing  
but a smoking mound of charred flesh. Maya clenched her hands tightly at the  
carnage, her nails digging into the palm of her hands. She stood up  
carefully, mindful of the wind, and looked around. All across the city the  
same things were happening-- strong winds, lightning, even tornadoes-- but  
only in places where her people were staying. This was not a random event.  
  
"My God! The storm is... alive!" Maya breathed.  
  
Raen banged a hand on the railing in anger. "Damn it! We can't fight  
something like this! There are no spells for fighting a storm-- Hell! There  
are no spells for *controlling* a storm! This was supposed to be impossible."  
  
Maya hated feeling helpless. Her people were dying and all she could do was  
stand and watch. What kind of queen was she, unable to even protect her  
people? But what more could she do? Even lord Raen, East Heaven's top  
magician, said there were no spells to combat this sort of thing. Wait!  
Spells... of course! It was risky, but she would have to take the chance.  
  
"Your Majesty! Where are you going?" Raen asked as Maya ran inside the  
castle.  
  
"I have an idea. Lord Raen, please call the High Council, tell them to meet  
me at the council chamber. I know how we're going to fight this storm," Maya  
called back as she ran. She dashed through the halls to her room, uncaring  
of who saw her in her undignified rush. Reaching her room, Maya burst through  
the door and began rooting through the shelves that lined one wall of the  
room.  
  
Where is it?, Maya thought as searched. Where- Yes! Found it! With gentle  
hands, she removed an expensive looking book from the top shelf. She traced  
the golden filigree on the covers with her fingers. The Book of Cosmos, East  
Heaven Kingdom's most powerful Aeon relic. Powerless now, true-- Maya had  
transferred the Book's power to her sister, Mint, in order to battle Valen  
five years ago. But nevertheless, if her intuition was right, then the Book  
may very well be their salvation. Maya held the Book tightly to herself as  
she headed off to the council chamber to inform the High Council of her  
plans.  
  
The assembled officials rose to their feet as their queen entered the room.  
"Your Majesty wanted to see us?" asked the elderly Minister of Records.  
  
"Lord Raen tells us that you have an idea on how to fight this storm,"  
General Hardin said in his gravelly voice. His clothes were torn and bloody,  
a testament to the work he had done that night. "Is it true? My men are dying  
out there; I will welcome anything that will help them."  
  
"Take your seats, gentlemen," Maya told them. "It's true, I do have an idea  
on how to stop this unnatural storm. It involves this." Maya laid the Book of  
Cosmos on the table before her.  
  
"The Book of Cosmos! But... isn't the Book powerless?" asked one member of  
the High Council.  
  
Maya nodded in agreement. "The Book itself is without power, but that doesn't  
mean it is entirely useless. There are... other alternatives."  
  
A gray-haired man in magician's robes shot from his chair, his face full of  
apprehension. "Your Majesty! You can't be thinking...? No, it's too  
dangerous!"  
  
"What the devil are you going on about, Romney?" someone asked in  
irritation.  
  
The scholarly Romney was shaking in his boots. "The Book of Cosmos, it is-  
No! It's too risky. You must not allow her Majesty to do it! There has to be  
another way, not... this."  
  
"Do what? You're not making any sense."  
  
"Perhaps I should explain," Maya interfered, seeing as how the other man  
seemed ready to begin strangling poor Romney. "There is another side to the  
Book of Cosmos, a side that has not been evident until five years ago. You  
see, I've always been wondering why the Aeon Atenacius decided to make his  
relic in the form of a book. All the other relics are usually a jewel or  
something similar, so why a book? But since the Book has never been opened,  
we just assumed that it was one of Atenacius' peculiarities. But five years  
ago, when the Book of Cosmos lost its power, I was able to open it for the  
first time. It was then that I discovered the Book's true nature, it was more  
than just a relic-- the Book of Cosmos was also Atenacius' journal!"  
  
"An Aeon's journal! Why weren't we informed of this earlier?" demanded the  
curator of the Academy of Magic's museum of Aeon history. "Such a treasure  
*should* have been studied by our top scholars! Why have you kept this to  
yourself?" The curator seemed on the verge of apoplexy, his face was almost  
bursting with outrage. Maya would have found his imitation of a tomato funny  
if it weren't so insulting.  
  
Maya glared at the red-faced man. "You forget who you're talking to, Master  
Borric!" The curator subsided, settling back in his seat like a sulky child.  
  
"I apologize, your Majesty. Please, continue your explanation."  
  
"Very well, then. If there will be no more interruptions...?" The whole room  
remained silent. "Good. Now, as I was saying... The Book was the journal of  
Atenacius, but at first I did not realize it. It was written in a language  
so ancient that most scholars did not recognize it. I even asked the help of  
our top linguistics expert, Master Romney, but even he did not recognize the  
language. So I sent a copy of the text to a friend of mine in Carona who  
specializes in ancient languages, particularly languages from the Age of  
Aeons. He was able to translate a part of the text, which he sent back to me.  
His help was the key that enabled Master Romney and I to begin to understand  
the writings in the Book of Cosmos. We were not able to understand all of it,  
but what I was able to understand convinced me that what was written in the  
Book was too dangerous to reveal.  
  
"The Book of Cosmos is a weapon, gentlemen, but that weapon is a double-edged  
sword. Although powerless, the Book contains spells capable of destroying  
even an entire city, but such spells are a danger even to its caster."  
  
"Then you should not use it at all, your Majesty! You are too valuable to  
risk on such a venture! There must be another way of defeating this opponent,  
one that doesn't put you at risk," General Hardin argued.  
  
"I agree with the general," Raen put in, frowning at the young queen. "If the  
Book is that dangerous then another way must be found. All we need to do is  
figure out a way of dispersing storm. It will take time, but if the general  
and his men can hold until then..."  
  
Maya slammed both hands face down on the table and leaned over to look the  
assembled notables in the eye. "That is time we do not have! My people are  
dying, and using the Book is the only way to save them. I will risk  
everything to protect my people, even my life! But never fear, I will not be  
using the more dangerous spells found in the Book. What I had in mind was to  
try to duplicate the Book of Cosmos' original purpose."  
  
"Its original purpose?" asked a council member. "What purpose is that, your  
Majesty?" The rest of the people in the room looked intrigued as well, except  
for the Court Magician, who continued scowling.  
  
Maya leaned back, satisfied that things were now going her way. "The Book of  
Cosmos is, no, was a gateway to another dimension, an alternate universe.  
That alternate universe was the source of the Book's incredible power--  
through the gateway formed by the Book a person was able to tap into magics  
greater than anyone could hope to produce on his own. That power to form a  
gateway-- power that was lost when I transferred all of the Book's power to  
my sister five years ago-- can be duplicated using a spell. The problem with  
this spell is that it was meant for an Aeon. All I can do is create the  
gateway. To actually channel the power of the alternate universe will require  
the help of the spirit of Atenacius, who still resides in the universe of the  
Book."  
  
"Then I should be the one to cast the spell," said Raen. "There's no need for  
you to risk yourself, your Majesty."  
  
"No," Maya disagreed. "I should be the one to do it. I have spoken with  
Atenacius once before, five years ago when I was trapped inside the alternate  
universe. He will be more likely to listen to me. If you opened the gateway  
and Atenacius refused to help you... I don't know what might happen. It would  
be disastrous. Gentlemen... my lords-- you supported my father, now give me  
your support as well."  
  
Silence fell at Maya's pronouncement. The assembled ministers and government  
officials debated the merits of Maya's proposal, the discussion at times  
heated. Finally, they came to a decision: Maya can use the Book of Cosmos.  
  
"Thank you, gentlemen. I know what a hard decision this was for you; but I  
assure you, it was entirely necessary." Maya looked down at the Aeon relic  
in her hands. She thought of her plan-- and all that she needed to do. The  
next part of her plan was difficult and painful for her. It felt too much  
like giving up. But it had to be done... to save her people. "I have one  
more request to ask of you-- evacuate the city. Use the Portal Gate; take  
everyone to the Kingdom of Seithe-- they are our allies, our people can find  
refuge there. If all goes well, you will be able to return safely. General  
Hardin, you will be in charge of the evacuation. I trust you to... keep my  
people safe."  
  
Everyone was stunned at Maya's request. That their queen was asking them to  
evacuate brought to light the terrible reality of the situation. One thousand  
years of history, brought low in a single night! Nothing will ever be the  
same again. Not a few had tears in their eyes. General Hardin crossed his  
arms to her in a salute.  
  
"As you command, your Majesty," he said, gruffly. "I am your most loyal  
servant."  
  
Raen spoke up, "Your Majesty, I will stay behind. You need someone to protect  
you while you cast the spell... I will be that one. I and several of my best  
magicians will remain with you until you are done." Nods of approval greeted  
Raen's words as the assembled High Council urged Maya to accept.  
  
"All right," Maya conceded. "You can stay, although I'd rather you not risk  
your life. Be ready in thirty minutes-- that will give the people time to  
evacuate. Everybody, good luck," she said by way of dismissal.  
  
The room was cleared in a matter of seconds until only Maya was left. Lord  
Raen had left to gather the other magicians who would be left behind to  
protect her while General Hardin and the others began the evacuation of the  
city. In the meantime Maya was left with her thoughts as companion. Was she  
doing the right thing? Or was evacuating the city too premature? No, she must  
not doubt her judgement. What she should do instead was rehearse the spell  
she would be using to make sure nothing could go wrong. She opened the Book  
of Cosmos and flipped to the page she wanted. There. With a few adjustments  
in the wording it would be just what she needed. But... a minor problem. The  
spell she wanted was written in the Aeon language and was not part of the  
text that had already been translated. Well, no matter; all that time trying  
to translate the Book had taught her a little of how the language worked.  
Making adjustments should not be a problem. But, just to be sure...  
  
"Telume Ando, cuio-lye mi kuilen," Maya read aloud. Heavenly Gate, you live  
in me...  
  
Maya worked feverishly-- making adjustments, making sure that she got the  
translation right-- that she did not notice the passing time. Soon, thirty  
minutes had passed. Raen arrived with his band of magicians and saw the queen  
hard at work. He coughed softly to gain her attention. Maya looked up.  
  
"Are you finished, your Majesty?" he asked.  
  
Maya blinked. "Oh, sorry. I forgot about the time. Has everybody evacuated  
already?"  
  
"Just about. The only ones left are a few stragglers. A couple of apprentice  
magicians were left behind to keep the Portal Gate open."  
  
"That's good."  
  
A Portal Gate was one of the items left behind from the Age of Aeons. When  
activated by magic, a person can instantly teleport to another Portal Gate  
anywhere in the world. Unlike regular teleportation, a Portal Gate was not  
limited by the strength of the magician or the number of people to be  
teleported. Portal Gates could be found all over the world but their use has  
been banned by international law in order to prevent the threat of war. Since  
magic was needed to activate a Portal Gate, many countries feared that the  
East Heaven Kingdom would try to use the Portal Gates in a military invasion.  
In order to allay the fears, the rulers of East Heaven had agreed to forbid  
the use of Portal Gates. Maya did not want to be the one to break the treaty  
but this was an emergency. Dire measures were needed for dire straits.  
  
"It is time." Maya rose and walked over to where Raen stood. She looked at  
the five magicians Raen had chosen. They looked highly skilled, all of them  
older that she was. "Gentlemen. This will be a dangerous mission. Are you  
willing to risk your lives knowing that the chances for survival are slim?"  
  
The oldest of the group, Juros, a teacher from the Academy, spoke first.  
"You are our queen. Live or die, we will follow wherever you lead."  
  
"He's right, your Majesty. We weren't ordered, we volunteered. Besides, I  
want to protect the country same as you," said another. The others all voiced  
their agreement.  
  
"Thank you all." Maya graced them with a smile. "Lord Raen, are you ready?"  
  
The magician shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be. Tell me what you need."  
  
"Well, the object of the spell will be the storm, so I'll have to get high  
enough for the spell to have the greatest effect."  
  
Raen thought about it. "The south tower is the highest part of the castle,  
but it's going to be more dangerous the higher we get."  
  
"Danger is something that can't be avoided. The south tower it is." So  
decided, Maya led the way to the south tower, Raen and his magicians  
following behind. Walking through the empty halls of the castle, they  
eventually reached the base of the tower. Maya looked up the long spiraling  
staircase leading to the top of the tower. This was it, there was no turning  
back now. She turned to look at her companions.  
  
"It will take time to cast the spell," Maya told them. "When that happens I  
will be completely vulnerable. I trust all of you to protect me."  
  
"That's what we're here for, your Majesty," Raen said, looking straight at  
her. "Perhaps it's best I go up first, no sense risking yourself before you  
can cast the spell."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
Raen nodded. Motioning for the others to follow, he led the way up the spiral  
stairs, himself and another one going first, followed by the queen, and the  
rest bringing up the rear. The outside wall of the tower was cracked and  
pitted, evidence that the storm had not let up in the slightest. As they  
climbed, the cracks gave way to actual breaks in the wall, giving them  
glimpses of the world outside. Maya gasped at the devastation she saw. The  
city-- her city-- was totally demolished! Only the sturdiest of structures  
were left standing, and even those showed signs of damage. Parts of the  
castle itself looked like a rock quarry, the shattered buildings so far  
removed from their former glory. At this height the howling of the wind was  
almost unbearable and Maya and her companions had to cover their ears so as  
not to go deaf. They picked their way carefully through the debris that  
littered the staircase, each step almost tentative. Finally they reached the  
top.  
  
The top of the tower was no better than the rest of the castle-- in fact, it  
was a great deal worse. All kinds of debris cluttered the floor, including  
broken plaster from the tower's ceiling. The ceiling itself-- indeed, the  
roof itself-- was mostly gone, ripped away by the storm's savage fury. The  
boiling clouds of the storm above them could be seen through hole in the  
roof.  
  
"All right, then. Let's begin," Raen said, shouting to be heard above the  
wind. He turned to face the young queen. "Is there anything special you need  
to do?" he asked. Maya shook her negatively. "OK. Your Majesty, please stay  
in the center of the room. The rest of us will form a protective circle  
around you. What we will do is create a barrier to protect you while you cast  
your spell. Everyone, listen closely. A single large barrier will not be  
strong enough to withstand whatever attacks the storm might throw at us even  
with all of us powering the barrier, so instead, each of us will create  
smaller, stronger barriers that we will mesh together to form a full  
protective covering. That way we will each be able to concentrate our energy  
into one small area instead of spreading it over a large surface. Got it?"  
  
Everyone nodded. They took their positions in the center of the room as  
planned, with Maya in the middle of the circle. As if sensing their plans  
the storm suddenly increased its fury, ripping off the remaining sections of  
the roof. Rain fell on them, increasing in tempo with every second, and the  
wind threatened to blow them from the tower. Hurriedly, each of the six  
magicians protecting their queen created magical barriers formed of solid  
air, each of the barriers harder than steel and virtually impenetrable.  
The barriers also allowed them to see through to the other side. The six  
barriers were set into place so that they formed a dome-like structure over  
their heads. Calm fell inside the dome, the people inside untouched by wind  
and rain, a testament to the barrier's effectiveness.   
  
"You can begin now, your Majesty," Raen said, his arms outstretched to  
support his side of the barrier. In the inside perimeter of the dome the  
others were doing the same. Looking over his shoulder at Maya he saw her nod  
a reply and begin to open the Book of Cosmos.  
  
Maya opened the Book of Cosmos to the page she had marked earlier. Mentally  
preparing herself, she began gathering her magic for the most powerful spell  
she had ever attempted. Holding the Book open with her hands, she began.  
  
"Heavenly Gate, you live in me.   
Obey my voice, my will your Key..."   
  
As she spoke the words to the spell, Maya felt the magical forces moving,  
twisting, guided by her words, the magic wrapping around her. Power she had  
never felt before rushed through her, filling her with a heady euphoria.  
She had never felt like this before whenever she used the Book of Cosmos  
back when the Book still had its power. Back then, the magic was in the Book,  
and Maya was just like an outsider looking in, never this close to the magic  
itself, unable to *feel* the power. It was never this... intimate. Was this  
what her sister feels when she uses the power of the Cosmos? Does Mint get  
giddy with the thought of so much power?  
  
Raen started as he sensed an immense magical buildup from behind. Looking  
over his shoulder he saw Maya glowing brightly like the sun, her eyes closed  
and an awestruck look on her face. She had never looked so beautiful. He  
didn't have time to marvel for long as the storm suddenly increased its  
intensity even more, as if aware of the threat from beneath the magical  
barrier, forcing Raen and his companions to actually strain themselves to  
keep the dome intact. The rain that had been a steady downpour throughout the  
night became a shower of hail and sleet, the deadly ice formations hammering  
down the besieged barrier. Bolts of lightning rained down on them at regular  
intervals. Still, the barrier held. Raen's expression was one of imminent  
victory. If this was all the enemy had to offer... Suddenly, the lightning  
changed its course, striking the tower itself instead of the barrier. Raen  
realized, to his horror, that this was one scenario he had failed to  
consider.  
  
"They're attacking the tower!" he shouted at his companions. "You five will  
have to support the barrier yourselves; I'm going to stop the lightning!"  
Raen dissolved his side of the barrier and pulled back. Immediately, the  
other five barriers spread to accommodate the gap left behind. The walls of  
the protective dome were thinner than before and not as strong, but that  
couldn't be helped. Another bolt of lightning arced down to strike at the  
tower-- but this time, Raen was prepared. Raising his hand, he sent out his  
own lightning bolt, deflecting the other one before the tower was hit. Again  
a bolt struck and again he deflected it. The event repeated itself over and  
over, later on increasing to multiple strikes instead of just one. Raen's  
face was covered by a fine sheen of sweat, his teeth gritted with strain. He  
couldn't keep this up much longer. Even the barrier, weakened as it was, was  
beginning to wobble.  
  
"Your Majesty! Hurry up with that spell!" he shouted urgently.  
  
Lost in her euphoria, Maya had forgotten all about the outside world but  
Raen's words brought her back to reality. Flushing guiltily, she hurriedly  
spoke the remaining words of the spell.  
  
"Release now your eternal light   
Renew in me your holy might."  
  
The gateway was complete, the power that now rushed through her made what she  
had felt before seem insignificant. This time Maya kept hold on her senses,  
refusing to be seduced by the intense power of the Cosmos. Maya extended her  
senses, feeling for the gateway she had wrought by her words. Yes, it was  
complete, but nothing was going through it. She could still feel the energy  
on the other side of the gateway-- boiling, seething, longing to get  
through-- but lacking that final push to bring it from that other universe  
and into her world. This was where things became crucial. Maya lacked the  
magic needed to channel the power of the Cosmos on her own, she would have to  
rely on the spirit of Atenacius to do it for her. Therein lay the problem.  
Trapped as he was in another universe, Atenacius could do nothing by himself,  
without human intervention he was basically impotent. But Aeons were  
decidedly unpredictable and Atenacius might decide not to help her. If that  
were to happen, then the strain of holding the gateway open will tear Maya  
apart.  
  
Casting her thoughts into the universe beyond the gate, Maya beseeched, "Oh  
mighty Aeon, hear me! I am Maya, Queen of East Heaven, and I come to you in  
search of aid. My people are dying and my kingdom has been besieged! I ask  
you, lend me the power that you command that I may save my kingdom." Maya  
held her breath, hoping that Atenacius had heard her request. A few seconds  
passed and Maya's heart dropped, fearing the worst, when, from far off came  
a reply.  
  
"I REMEMBER YOU. YOU WHO CAME INTO MY WORLD FIVE YEARS IN THE PAST-- AND  
BROUGHT WITH YOU ONE OF VALEN'S FOULED CREATIONS! WHY SHOULD I HELP YOU NOW?"  
  
"No, Rue was not fouled!" Maya pleaded. "In fact, he and my sister fought and  
defeated Valen! Please, you have to believe me!"  
  
"ONE OF VALEN'S PRECIOUS DOLLS HAS TURNED AGAINST HIM?" The Aeon's voice was  
filled with gloating. "AND THIS SISTER OF YOURS... SHE IS THE ONE WHO I HAVE  
FELT USING THE POWER OF THE COSMOS WITHOUT THE AID OF MY BOOK, IS SHE NOT?  
VERY WELL, THEN. YOU ARE A WORTHY PERSON; I WILL GIVE YOU THE POWER YOU SEEK.  
TELL ME, WHAT IS THIS DANGER THAT BESETS YOU SO?"  
  
"Oh, thank you Lord Atenacius!" Maya's heart leapt for joy. Atenacius had  
agreed to help! There was still hope for East Heaven! "My nation's capital is  
under attack from an unnatural storm. It seems as if the storm is alive! What  
I needed was the power to dispel this abnormality, power you so graciously  
provided," Maya said in answer to the Aeon's question.  
  
"A STORM THAT IS... ALIVE? COULD IT BE...? NO! IT MUST BE ONE OF *HIS*  
MINIONS TRYING TO BREAK THE SEAL! THAT MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN! YOU  
MUST STOP HIM, STOP HIM AT ALL COSTS!!" The Aeon's voice faded away into  
the darkness of the alternate universe, still screaming at her.  
  
Maya had never thought an Aeon could be frightened, but what she had heard in  
Atenacius' voice was definitely fear. What could be bad enough to frighten  
one of the most powerful Aeons who ever lived? Who was the *him* that  
Atenacius was so afraid of? Maya tried calling Atenacius back, to no avail--  
the Aeon refused to respond to her words. But he did respond in other ways.  
Soon after Maya lost contact with the deceased Aeon she felt a sudden influx  
of magical energy, as if the dam holding that same energy on the other side  
of the gateway had suddenly broken down. The power was too strong! She felt  
caught up in forces beyond her reckoning, forces that could tear her apart  
unless released. And release it she must, for her sake and the sake of her  
people. All it took was one word.  
  
"Cosmos!"  
  
The light within her exploded and burst outward, consuming her senses with  
its brilliance. It continued onward, causing Raen to shadow his eyes from  
the blinding light. The barriers around the little party dissolved as the  
other magicians also attempted to shield themselves, not that the barrier  
was needed anymore. The storm had no hold within that sphere of light, the  
wind and rain ceasing to exist upon contact. The sphere expanded, growing  
even larger as the magical storm continued to fight back with everything in  
its arsenal. Lightning and hail were thrown against the luminescent globe,  
to no effect. The sphere grew and grew, enveloping the tower in its light,  
then the castle and, eventually, the city itself. The rock creatures that  
still roamed the city streets were blasted into nothingness in mere moments  
and the air was filled with a despairing howl as the unnatural storm was  
ripped to shreds by the power of Maya's spell. The city was bathed in light  
for several minutes, and then, as quickly as it had appeared, the light  
softly faded away leaving calm in its wake.  
  
Maya remained standing shortly after it was over, her body still thrumming  
with the power she had channeled. Then, silently, she collapsed in a gasping  
heap, the Book of Cosmos falling from her hands, her body weak after dealing  
with powers no human was meant to handle. Raen approached her, helping her to  
a sitting position as she tried to catch her breath, his face wreathed with a  
smile of congratulations, a smile which was reflected on the faces of their  
companions.  
  
"You did it! You really did it!" he exclaimed.  
  
Maya wearily shook her head. "No, *we* did it. I wouldn't have been able  
to do this without your help. All of you." The others smiled their  
acknowledgement, but it was clear to them where the credit truly lay.  
Everyone felt like rejoicing. East Heaven was saved! True, most of the city  
was in ruins, but that didn't matter. Their ordeal was over, and that alone  
was cause for celebration. A sudden clapping sound ruined the moment.  
  
"Bravo! A magnificent performance!" Standing just several paces away from the  
group was a man with long, silver-white hair and clad in a long-sleeved tunic  
and trousers that, while simple in design, was obviously of very high  
quality. "I never expected that anyone from this time would be able to defeat  
my creations. I shouldn't have been so surprised, really, considering that  
you *are* Mint's sister."  
  
"Mint?" Maya asked, shocked at hearing a stranger mention the name of her  
sister who had been missing for more than three months. Shock quickly turned  
to anger. "You! What did you do to Mint?! If you've harmed her, I swear...!"  
Her magic was depleted but if she could just claw his eyes out... She  
struggled to rise but Raen held her back. At an unspoken command, the other  
five magicians moved to stand between their queen and the mysterious  
stranger.  
  
"Please stand back, your Majesty! We don't know how dangerous he is," Raen  
advised in an urgent whisper. Raising his voice, he directed his next  
sentence at the stranger. "Who are you and what do you want us?" he demanded.  
  
The stranger seemed to find amusement in Raen's belligerence. "Who am I, you  
ask? Yes, perhaps you should know the name of your destroyer. Very well then,  
you can call me Gear. As for what I want-- rest assured that it has nothing  
to do with you, at least, not directly. It is just to your misfortune that  
East Heaven stood in the way of my mission even if you didn't know it." The  
man who called himself Gear then waved his hand in a beckoning gesture.  
Suddenly, the Book of Cosmos flew up from where it lay on the floor  
unattended, coming to a rest in the man's open palm.  
  
"No! The Book of Cosmos!" Maya cried out despairingly. She tried again to  
rise, but she was still too weak. The others were too caught by surprise to  
react quickly enough, except one. The teacher, Juros, quickly unleashed a  
barrage of fiery bursts at the silver-haired man. The spot where Gear had  
stood was soon covered by a dense cloud of smoke and ash. Everyone tensed as  
they waited to see the results of the surprise attack, ready to release their  
own magic if needed. When a couple of minutes had passed with no reaction  
from within the cloud of smoke, they relaxed. Gear must already be dead.  
  
"That was a very foolish thing to do." A long, sharp metal spike suddenly  
emerged from the smoke, impaling the unfortunate Juros through his chest and  
then just as suddenly disappearing back into the smokescreen. Rean rushed  
from Maya's side to catch the magician as he fell. He cradled the still body  
in his arms, tears of anger running down his face. He was not alone, everyone  
had tears in their eyes as they beheld their fallen comrade. With a cry of  
rage, Raen turned and threw all the magic he had at the man who still  
remained concealed beneath the obscuring smoke, the other magicians adding  
their own attacks without hesitation. Fire, ice, wind, or lightning-- they  
did not care what spell they used, their only thought was to kill. Maya  
watched in trepidation as spells capable of felling an entire army was  
brought to bear against a single person. Surely no one could survive such an  
onslaught, she thought. She was wrong.  
  
There was an explosion from inside the cloud of smoke, the resultant blast  
causing the cloud to disperse, as well as forcing them to halt their attacks.  
When the wind had died down and the last of the smoke had disappeared, the  
remaining members of the little group were treated to an unnerving sight.  
Floating several feet over a hole where the floor should have been was Gear,  
his body surrounded by a chilling aura of inky blackness. Where before,  
Gear's expression was amused and condescending, now it was one of malice.  
His lips bore a smile of cruel enjoyment, a smile reflected in the steely  
gaze of his wintry blue eyes. Though the sight of Gear apparently unharmed  
was unsettling, to say the least, what was even more unsettling was the sight  
of the creature that stood just behind him. Fifteen feet tall, the creature  
was an armored monstrosity that seemed to be all claws and wings. It eyed  
them hungrily, eyes glowing an eerie red in the darkness of its features.  
  
"Congratulations, my friends. You've managed to annoy me." Despite Gear's  
words, he didn't sound annoyed. If anything, his voice held a trace of  
anticipation. "Though I would love to stay and play with you some more, duty  
calls. But don't worry, I'll be leaving my pet with you for your  
entertainment," he said, gesturing at the creature behind him. "Do you like  
it? It's one of my best creations, the chaos demons-- incorporeal beings from  
the void of chaos, brought to this world and bound to me in a physical body  
of my own making! Beautiful, isn't it? Well, time to go. Oh, and before I  
forget, you won't be needing this anymore." Gear held up the Book of Cosmos  
in his hand. There was a brief spark then the Book exploded, the fragments of  
the Aeon relic disappearing as if it had never existed. "It may be powerless  
but it still poses a threat to the Master's plans, as you have so recently  
demonstrated. Nothing must stand in the way of the Lord of Chaos! Farewell.  
I doubt we'll see each other again since you won't survive the night."  
Without further ado, Gear flickered out of sight.  
  
Maya and her companions didn't have long to remain stunned by Gear's  
disappearance. As soon as its master had gone, the chaos demon sprung into  
action, rushing across the debris strewn floor of the tower with astonishing  
speed, a horrendous roar issuing forth. It crashed into them with claws  
extended but missed by inches as everyone scrambled to safety. They spread  
out, Raen assisting the still weakened young queen, giving the monster less  
of a target. Not giving the demon a chance to recover, they pelted it with  
what remaining power they had, to no effect. Shrugging off the attacks, the  
creature spread its wings and glided across the room towards what it  
perceived as the weakest member of the group-- Maya. Reacting quickly, Raen  
tackled Maya just as a set of wicked claws ripped through the space where her  
head had been. Maya screamed in panic as she was nearly decapitated. The  
demon whirled around for another strike but was stopped short in mid-air,  
struggling against invisible bonds. The remaining four of Raen's magicians  
approached, the glow of magic in their outstretched palms, weaving flows of  
air to bind the chaos demon.  
  
"Good job!" Raen praised. He helped Maya to her feet, the both of them  
brushing the dust off their clothes.  
  
"What should we do with this thing?" asked one of the magicians.  
  
"I don't know," Raen supplied. The demon had ceased struggling and instead  
had settled for glaring at them. At least, it seemed to be glaring; Raen  
couldn't tell. It even seemed to be opening its mouth to scream at them. "I'm  
not even sure we could kill it but- Look out!" The warning came too late.  
What he had thought to be a scream had turned out to be one of the demon's  
attacks instead. The beam of energy that emerged from the demon's wide open  
mouth instantly vaporized all but one of the four magicians who bound it.  
Freed of its bonds, the creature went after the last one, who tried valiantly  
to escape but was eventually caught and slammed through the floor, killing  
him outright.  
  
"Nooooooo!!" Raen cried out in grief. Mind numbed by the horrible events,  
he ran forward to avenge his friends, magical flames trailing from his hands.  
Maya's call for him to stop remained unheard. He ran, uncaring that the demon  
was now heading towards him as well. That was what he wanted, to fight the  
demon and destroy it... or die trying. What was the use of being the best  
magician in East Heaven if he couldn't even protect his friends? The demon  
was almost upon him now, its claws raised for a killing blow. Raen was ready.  
Water streamed from the magician's hands, wrapping around the creature's body  
then suddenly solidifying. The rock-hard ice held the demon in its grasp, but  
Raen knew that the binding would only hold the demon for a moment. But a  
moment was all Raen needed. As the ice began to splinter and crack, Raen  
planted himself in front of the beast. Glaring at the monster in hatred, he  
placed his hand palm down on the floor right under the creature's body, one  
word issuing from his lips.  
  
"Inferno!"  
  
A wave of red spread outward from Raen's hand then suddenly erupted into a  
ball of searing plasma that engulfed both man and demon.  
  
"Raen..." Maya whispered. Of all the losses she had experienced this night,  
Raen's loss was the hardest. Even though Maya had known him for only a short  
time, he was the closest thing to a family that she had right now. He was  
her sister's friend-- maybe even her friend as well. Not to mention the only  
member of her government who was even close to her in age.  
  
The tower started to break apart but Maya was too depressed to notice. Eyes  
locked onto the glowing fireball, she took no heed as parts of the floor  
began to crack and break off and the walls crumble into dust as the tower's  
structure finally surrendered to the stress. Precious seconds passed, seconds  
Maya could have spent escaping from the doomed building, then from within the  
globe of flames Maya spotted movement. A figure wreathed in flames popped out  
of the sphere and dropped to the floor. The flames died down into wisps of  
smoke to reveal a badly shaken Raen, unharmed and none the worse for his  
experience.  
  
"Raen!" Maya shouted joyfully. Rushing to his side, she anxiously checked his  
body for any sign of injury, but found none. "Raen... Are you all right? Did  
you get hurt? How did you escape from there? Are you *really* sure you're all  
right...?" Maya bit her tongue to stop herself from babbling-- such behavior  
was unseemly for a queen. Helping the weary magician to his feet, Maya led  
them away from the still seething ball of fire where the demon was entrapped.  
"How in the world did you manage to survive that?" she asked again once they  
were far enough. "I was sure you were dead."  
  
"I was able to... shield myself... split-seconds before... the flames  
started," Raen explained while gasping for breath. He then noticed the  
current state of his surroundings. "The tower's collapsing!" he exclaimed in  
surprise. "We have to get out of here, quick! Besides, I don't think the  
monster's dead yet."  
  
"What!"  
  
Just then, the sphere of flames surrounding the demon exploded with a huge  
blast, sending Raen and Maya crashing to the floor. The explosion was the  
final straw on the tower's already fragile structure. The floor tilted at an  
alarming angle as the tower finally fell, breaking apart into the pieces of  
plaster and marble and other components that made up the building.  
  
"Hold on!" Raen shouted, grabbing hold of Maya as he sought for a foothold  
on the shifting marble while trying to avoid falling debris. Across the room,  
the demon growled as it spotted them. It was charred but basically intact--  
and very, very angry. By this time, the tower had tilted so much that Raen  
and Maya were practically standing on the walls. Raen looked up in time to  
see the huge form of the chaos demon come barreling through the falling  
debris towards them. Taking a firm grip around the redheaded queen's waist,  
he kicked off, the duo staying suspended in mid-air for a moment as the demon  
crashed through the wall they had been standing on. Thinking quickly, Raen  
worked a quick teleportation spell, cutting Maya off in mid-scream. They  
disappeared, the air rushing in to fill the vacuum caused by their abrupt  
departure. Then the tower came crashing down.  
  
******  
  
"...EEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!"  
  
Maya and Raen popped into view just several blocks away from the castle, the  
young queen of East Heaven still screaming her lungs out. They collapsed to  
their knees, panting for breath. Maya punched the magician on the shoulder.  
  
"Don't you ever do that again!" she ordered.  
  
"Hey!" Raen complained in a injured tone of voice. "I saved you, didn't I?"  
  
"I didn't mean that, I meant jumping off without warning me. God! I thought  
I was going to die!"  
  
"Okay, okay!" Raen placated. "At least we're safe."  
  
"You're right," Maya agreed. Nearby, the castle finished collapsing, now  
looking more like the rest of the city. "And that monster is dead and buried  
under all that rubble. But we did it-- we saved East Heaven. It's going to  
take a lot of rebuilding but-" She was cut off by an inhuman scream from the  
direction of the castle ruins. "It can't be..." she breathed.  
  
"Oh yes, it can," Raen said grimly. He stood and started walking in the  
direction of the scream.  
  
"Where are you going?!" Maya asked in alarm.  
  
"To finish it, once and for all!"  
  
"No! You can't defeat it!" She grabbed Raen's arm to prevent him from walking  
off. "Come on, let's just get to the Portal Gate," she said, pointing to  
where it was located just further down the street. "We can go to Seithe and  
get some reinforcements. You can't do this on your own."  
  
"No, you go and use the Portal Gate. I'm not leaving until I avenge my  
friends." So saying, Raen disengaged himself from Maya's hold and ran off  
before she could do anything to stop him.  
  
"Wait! Come back here! That's an order!" Maya called after him. The magician  
seemed not to have heard, or was pretending not to. Muttering something about  
'stubborn fools', Maya hurried after him, casting a longing glance back at  
the Portal Gate behind her. Reaching an intersection, she turned in the  
direction Raen had gone-- and stopped short at the sight before her.  
  
In the rubble-strewn streets of the once great city, Raen and the demon were  
battling it out with complete abandon. If there was a building still standing  
after the storm had hit then it was knocked down in the course of that savage  
battle. Raen was keeping his distance, knowing that he stood no chance in a  
close up fight against the monster. This way, the only thing he had to avoid  
was the demon's beam attack, which was easy to anticipate once you knew what  
to look for. He was a skilled magician, with many spells in his arsenal, and  
he called on the full extent of his skill as he fought to vanquish the  
monster who had killed his friends. When the demon came too close, he blew it  
away with a miniature whirlwind, utilizing the environment to his advantage  
as the wind picked up the surrounding debris and battered the demon with  
rocks, broken concrete, and twisted shards of metal. From afar, he rained  
down daggers of fire and ice on the demon's head. He even once caused a  
two-story building to collapse over the creature. However, no matter what he  
threw at it the demon kept getting up again and again. Raen could have sworn  
that he had managed to damage the monster-- several times in fact-- but the  
creature refused to stay damaged, almost as if it was healing itself. He  
began to have second thoughts about whether he could actually defeat this  
thing. Perhaps her Majesty had the right idea after all.  
  
Raen's inattention almost cost him his life as the demon managed to get close  
enough to send him flying with a blow. Luckily, the claws had missed or he  
would already be dead. As it was, he was sent crashing into the side of one  
of the few buildings that still stood. He looked up from his place on the  
ground, too dazed to do anything as the demon loomed over him to deliver the  
final blow. He flinched as the wicked claws began their deadly plunge-- and  
blinked in surprise as a small fireball came shooting out of nowhere to  
exploded in the demon's face. The attack was hardly strong enough to harm the  
unnatural beast but it did stun it for a moment, giving Raen time to regain  
his senses and scramble to safety. Once safe, he looked in the direction  
the attack had come, and was surprised to see Maya standing further down the  
street and panting heavily, her hand still outstretched. It was obvious that  
even pulling off so minor a spell had severely taxed her energy reserves.   
  
"Your Majesty! What are you doing?! It's not safe here! You must get away,  
quickly!" he shouted as he ran towards her position.  
  
"I could say the same of you, you idiot!" Maya stormed back. "What were you  
thinking of, running off like that? Dying won't help your friends. Come on!  
If we hurry, we might get to the Portal Gate before the demon notices."  
  
"Right, you convinced me," Raen agreed. "Nothing I do seems to harm the  
demon. We might as well get out while we still have the chance." They turned  
a corner and ran as fast as they could towards the Portal Gate a few blocks  
down the street. A few seconds later, they heard the sound of the demon  
giving chase; obviously it had recovered from Maya's surprise attack much  
faster than they had anticipated. Raen caught Maya's eye, indicating with a  
nod of his head that she was to continue running, then turned around,  
ready to slow the demon down with an attack. His eyes widened instead when  
he saw the demon preparing an attack of its own.  
  
"Get down!" Raen shouted, tackling Maya to the ground for the second time  
that night, a beam of energy shooting overhead. They covered their ears as  
the beam crackled and fizzed, then disappeared entirely. Slowly, they looked  
up at the beam's trajectory. The attack had gone through several houses, one  
of the few remaining trees, and...  
  
"No," Maya whispered. "The Portal Gate... It's gone!" Where the Portal Gate  
once stood was now a molten pile of unrecognizable material, material that,  
in the one thousand and more years since the Gate's discovery, has never been  
damaged or touched by weather. It was widely assumed that the Portal Gates  
were indestructible, but here lay evidence to the contrary. What manner of  
creature was this chaos demon?  
  
"No time to worry about that now," Raen interrupted, pulling Maya to her  
feet. "The monster is coming right at us!" Running madly, they ducked into  
the narrow streets and alleys to slow the larger demon down. After a while,  
Rean led them into a small, abandoned shop where they paused to catch their  
breath.  
  
"What are we going to do?!" Maya asked in a panic. "The Portal Gate is gone,  
there's no way we can escape now!"   
  
"Calm down," Raen told her. "There may still be a chance. It's risky, but I  
think I can do it."  
  
Curious, Maya asked, "Do what?"  
  
"I'm going to teleport us out of here," the magician explained. "I used up a  
lot of energy in the fight, but I still have enough for one big spell,  
provided I use up everything I have. It's still not strong enough to get us  
to Seithe, but at least it'll get us out of here."  
  
"I guess it's worth a try," Maya conceded. "What do I have to do?"  
  
"Just stay close to me," Raen advised. "Better yet, grab hold of my arm and  
don't let go for anything. This is a more difficult spell than the one I used  
to get us out of the castle so I don't want anything going wrong." Maya did  
as she was told while Raen began the spell.  
  
Teleportation was a tricky business. The spell itself was among the highest  
in the magical arts, and very few magicians were able to perform even the  
simplest teleportation. Raen was one of the few, and he was not restricted  
to simpler forms. He was a prodigy in the magical world, the youngest ever to  
be chosen as East Heaven Kingdom's Court Magician. His skill in magic was  
unsurpassed, matched only by Princess Mint's natural talent for magic. But  
while the princess had a raw ability unseen since the earliest Masters, Raen  
possessed a technique and finesse that even people twice his age were unable  
to achieve, and a repertoire of spells that was the envy of many. He called  
upon that knowledge now for the task at hand, a task made harder by his  
weakened condition. Teleportation required strength and direction. Raen's  
strength was almost depleted, but it would suffice for two people-- barely.  
As for direction-- the spell itself could be performed anywhere, except for  
one factor that must remain constant: the caster must know his destination.  
A person could not just teleport to places he had no knowledge of, the spell  
must be told where the caster wants to go to, otherwise a person could end up  
lost-- or worse. Raen knew he didn't have the strength to take them all   
directly to Seithe, so he decided to try for one of the outlying villages  
around Seithe instead.  
  
The spell was almost finished. Tying the last parts of the spell into place,  
Raen watched in satisfaction as a pinkish aura rose up around them, an  
indication of the spell's effect. Just then, the roof of the building caved  
in and the demon they had almost forgotten about suddenly burst through the  
flying debris and reached for them, claws extended.  
  
"Oh no!" Raen exclaimed in dismay as the demon entered the spell's range,  
disrupting the weaves of the spell and turning the aura from a light pink  
into a darkish purple. "No! Not now! The spell must not go wro-" With a  
flash, everyone disappeared from sight-- Maya, Raen, and... the chaos demon.  
  
******  
  
They appeared in a small forest clearing, their sudden arrival disturbing  
the peace of the pre-dawn stillness. Raen and Maya staggered back from the  
overwhelming sense of vertigo caused by the disrupted teleportation spell,  
clutching each other for support as the world seemed to spin around them.  
Catching his breath, Raen chanced a look around, but recognized nothing.  
So, they were well and truly lost-- which was a far better alternative than  
what might have been. Then he remembered the chaos demon.  
  
Drawing his head up, the magician saw that the demon had, indeed, been  
transported along with them-- and was now standing barely three paces away  
from where he and Maya lay huddled on the ground. Luckily for them, the  
creature also seemed to be suffering the after-effects of the botched  
teleportation spell, otherwise they would probably have been dead by now. As  
it was, the creature had now recovered and was lumbering towards them with  
slow purposeful steps, as if it wanted to savor the moment, knowing how  
helpless they were. Raen tried once more to get back on his feet, and failed.  
His strength was completely gone, the last of it having gone into the  
teleportation spell. Maya was a deadweight, having collapsed out of sheer  
exhaustion. If only he could save her... But any attempts to rouse the young  
queen, so that at least she would be able to escape, bore no fruit. The demon  
was almost upon them now. Raen hung his head, resigning himself to the  
inevitable. Was this to be the end then?, he thought. Lost in a forest  
clearing where no one would know their fate? Filled with depression, Raen  
waited for the final blow. It never came.  
  
A reddish blur slammed into the side of the demon, sending the monster  
crashing into the trees. Raen stared. The demon lay on its back, a huge gash  
that ripped from its shoulder to mid-torso evident on its side. A black,  
blood-like substance stained the surrounding area. The cause of the injury  
lay several feet away from the monster: a large, strange-looking axe that  
was embedded into the soft dirt. Raen stared some more. The weapon looked  
to be very heavy. Who could be strong enough to *throw* it? And with enough  
force to send a fifteen foot demon flying? A soft footfall nearby caused the  
magician to turn his head in the direction of the sound. Walking towards him  
was a young man, probably around Raen's age, dressed in forest greens and  
leather armor. A matching hat covered most of the stranger's head, but Raen  
could see several silver-white locks that had escaped the hat's confines  
tied back in a short ponytail. The man's gray eyes were serious and intense,  
as if he had seen a lot more than most people. Raen had seen that expression  
only once before, when Princess Mint had returned from her two year exile  
five years ago.  
  
"Are you all right?" the stranger asked him concernedly.  
  
"Yes," Raen replied. "Thank you for saving us." Raen could have sworn that  
he'd never seen this man before in his life... so why did he look so  
familiar?  
  
"Us?" the stranger asked, suddenly noticing that he had saved more than just  
one person. His gray eyes darted down to the redheaded bundle in Raen's arms,  
then widened. "Princess Maya?!" he exclaimed.  
  
Raen eyed the leather-clad man narrowly. He had a sneaking suspicion on just  
who this person was; hearing him say Maya's name confirmed it. But, just to  
be sure... "And just who are you?" Raen asked, cautiously.  
  
The stranger seemed surprised at the question. "I could ask the same of you.  
But I suppose you're one of the good guys, seeing as how you were protecting  
Maya. Anyway, my name's Rue."  
  
Raen frowned at the familiar way the man said Maya's name, then it sank in.  
"*You* are Rue? The Rue? Well, looks like I had a bit of luck after all.  
It's a good thing you were passing by, otherwise-" he broke off, staring at  
something. "The demon," Rean's voice was flat. "It's getting back up."  
  
"What!" Rue turned around to look. Raen was right, the demon was getting back  
up. The wound along its side was now mostly healed and the creature was  
flexing its arms in anticipation of battle. Rue frowned. His weapon, the Arc  
Edge, was too far away for him to reach it in time. He couldn't afford to  
try and get it, doing so would leave Maya and the other man unprotected. He  
would have to take a chance and fight the creature unarmed.  
  
Back at full strength, the demon charged, eating up the distance in a matter  
of seconds. Rue charged as well, crossing the demon's path and trying to  
lead it away from the others. True to plan, the monster changed course and  
went after Rue. They met in a flurry of strikes, the demon's claws flashing  
dimly in the pre-dawn light, trying to tear into flesh but hitting only air.  
Rue leapt about, using his agility to evade the deadly claws, slowly  
maneuvering the fight towards where his weapon lay. He would sometimes  
deliver an occasional blow with his hands and feet. He knew that the blows  
did no damage to the demon, but his purpose was met-- the attacks had pushed  
the demon in the direction Rue wanted to go. Rolling under a sweeping side  
slash, Rue came up behind the demon-- with the Arc Edge in his hands. The  
chaos demon turned just as Rue was getting up and drove a clawed hand down  
at the warrior. Rue blocked with the Arc Edge, his feet digging into the  
soft earth as the demon pushed down, arms straining to hold back the demon's  
strength. Rue smiled as he pitted his strength against the monster. Finally,  
a foe worthy of fighting.  
  
The tone of the battle changed. Where before it was fast and furious, now it  
was even more so. Raen could only watch in astonishment as the man called  
Rue held his own against a creature that the top magicians of East Heaven  
were unable to defeat. Who is this Rue? *What* is he?  
  
Rue swung his weapon as he moved under an attack from the demon, feeling the  
blade of the Arc Edge cut into the creature's armored skin. It was not over  
yet, he knew, so he constantly stayed in motion, circling around the beast  
as it pressed its own attack.  
  
The demon was amazingly fast on its feet, and it kept pace with Rue as he  
moved. The demon struck with its right arm, talons primed. Rue spun the Arc  
Edge around in a fluid motion, diverting the monster's attack and, using the  
same motion, pivoting in place to deliver a blow onto the monster's left leg.  
He leapt back again as the demon's left hand arced around in a cutting swipe,  
but wasn't fast enough to avoid being raked across the chest. Rue ignored the  
burning pain in his chest and glanced down to check the severity of the  
injury. Fortunately the cut was shallow, only a flesh wound, his armor having  
prevented the demon's claws from cutting any deeper. The wound wouldn't be  
causing problems for now, but if the fight dragged on... The demon didn't  
have the same problem, any injury it had sustained in the fight were already  
healing themselves. Rue had never faced an opponent like this before, one  
that healed almost as soon as it was hurt. He did not lose hope, however.  
Something in the back of his mind told him that the demon could be destroyed,  
that the demon's healing abilities only reached a certain extent. If he could  
just keep on piling on the damage...  
  
He charged with renewed fury, weapon slicing through the air. Rue weaved in  
close, blade flashing twice. The demon screamed in mingled pain and fury as  
two parallel gashes appeared on its chest. It attacked, both clawed hands  
sweeping downwards, but Rue leapt in the air then spun, letting the weight  
of the weapon carry him, slashing the demon across the shoulder, almost  
severing its left arm. The demon screamed again, grabbing Rue in midair with  
its remaining hand and threw him into the trees. Flying through the air, Rue  
braced himself for impact but was unable to prevent crying out in pain as  
he slammed back-first into a tree trunk. Gasping slightly, Rue looked up...  
and was barely able to bring the Arc Edge up in time as a beam of some kind  
blasted into him. He strained against the beam's onslaught, feeling the trunk  
behind start to crack as he was pushed back from the force of the attack.  
Then the tree gave way and he was sent flying again, but only for a short  
distance as the beam dissipated. He landed on his feet, none the worse for  
wear, the earth shaking as the tree fell with a mighty thud. His hat, which  
had miraculously stayed on throughout the fight, had now fallen off,  
revealing a glowing diamond-like gem embedded in his forehead. His hair had  
broken free of its ponytail, long silver-white strands floating in the wind.  
Rue radiated power-- or perhaps it was the golden aura that surrounded him,  
an aura that caused the ground near him to tremble. He lowered his weapon,  
glad that the Arc Edge was of Aeon make, otherwise he might not have survived  
the attack.  
  
Across the field, the chaos demon was back to full health. It eyed the  
glowing form of Rue with... was it recognition? Spreading its wings, the  
demon took to the air, kicking up a huge cloud of dust from the downdraft.  
Rue stared at the slowly diminishing speck with puzzlement. Was it  
retreating? But no, the demon had stopped moving and was now hovering high  
overhead. What was it doing?, Rue asked silently. Then realization struck  
and Rue leapt aside just in time to avoid being vaporized from another beam  
of energy. He looked at the smoking patch of earth where he had been standing  
then turned his gaze skyward. So, it wanted to take the fight into the air,  
did it? Rue was glad to oblige.  
  
The golden aura that surrounded Rue changed into a light pink, and then  
reality seemed to shift. Where a young man once was now stood-- or perhaps  
hover would be more accurate-- a gargoyle. Small in comparison to the chaos  
demon-- only six feet from nose to tail-- the vaguely draconian gargoyle was  
armed with a menacing set of claws and teeth, as well as the ability to  
attack with sound waves.  
  
Rue the gargoyle took to the air, swiftly closing in on the demon. What  
happened next was like an aerial ballet as the faster and more agile gargoyle  
quickly took the advantage. The demon tried to swat the gargoyle from the  
air, but its bulk prevented it from moving fast enough to catch the smaller  
creature. Rue flew circles around the demon, moving in to strike with taloned  
feet, claws cutting deep gouges in the demon's skin. Out of desperation, the  
demon tried shooting off more energy beams, to no avail. The beams were  
easily avoided, and the gargoyle retaliated by unleashing several sonic wave  
attacks then rushing in to strike the stunned demon with its talons. Several  
minutes later, the battered demon fell from the sky, cratering into the  
ground below with a resounding smash.  
  
The gargoyle dove after the falling demon, intent on finishing its task. It  
flew parallel to the ground as, up ahead, the demon was slowly and painfully  
getting up. If gargoyles could smile, it would have. It was closing in on  
the demon, only several meters away, when the reality shifted again and it  
was Rue who was charging at the demon, momentum carrying him forward. The  
golden aura once again surrounded Rue and the jewel on his forehead blazed  
with power. Seeing as how the demon was preparing to fire an energy beam at  
him, Rue drew his arm back and threw the Arc Edge with all his strength. The  
weapon struck the demon dead-center on its armored chest, sending the monster  
crashing into the base of a tree.  
  
Rue crossed the distance separating them in a single bound, pulling out the  
Arc Edge with his right hand while his left hand pinned the demon up against  
the tree. The gem embedded in Rue's forehead shone brighter, his aura  
throbbed with power. The earth shook and strong winds spiraled around the  
pair, cracks spreading out from the ground on where Rue was standing. The  
chaos demon screamed in agony as Rue's power ripped the shell of its physical  
self apart, its body slowly disintegrating. A brilliant flash of light, an  
agonizing scream, and all was still. The only one left was Rue, aura gone,  
standing in an area of total devastation, the surrounding area looking as if  
some great force had torn it apart. He walked back to where Raen and Maya  
were staying.  
  
"What are you?" a stunned Raen asked.  
  
Rue sighed. Setting the Arc Edge in its holder at the back of his armor, Rue  
replied, "It's a long story. I'll tell you, if you want, but first we gotta  
take care of Maya. Claire's cabin is nearby, come on." Picking up the still  
unconscious Maya in his arms, Rue waited for Raen to join him. They set off  
through the woods.  
  
******  
  
Dawn rose over what once was the capital city of the East Heaven Kingdom,  
now nothing more than ruins under the sun-kissed sky. The once vibrant city  
lay quiet in the aftermath of the storm, the only sound being the footsteps  
of the man who was the cause of all this destruction. The silver-haired man  
strode unconcernedly among the city's dead, pausing every once in a while to  
survey the surrounding carnage.  
  
"Admiring your work?" a feminine voice asked from nearby. Gear turned to face  
the speaker, his blue eyes meeting her purple ones. The woman looked to be in  
her early twenties, though she carried an air of mischief mixed with  
confidence around her. Her clothes pushed the boundaries of decency, dressed  
as she was in a tight, form fitting, black dress that ended at mid-thigh. The  
dress also showed a hint of cleavage through the vee-cut pattern on the  
front. She wore a hooded knee-length cape draped around her, the hood pulled  
up so as to conceal her face. A short gust of wind threatened to pull the  
hood down, swirling the cloak around the woman's body. A slim hand reached  
out to hold the garment in place, the plain gold bracelet on her wrist  
tinkling as she moved. Another tinkle revealed a matching bracelet on the  
other arm. Gear smiled at her in response to her question, amusement written  
on his face.  
  
"Of course," he told her, gesturing expansively at the ruined city. "A  
masterpiece, isn't it?"  
  
The woman's mouth twisted in distaste. "Was all this really necessary? It  
seems a bit... excessive."  
  
Gear shrugged. "Necessary? Probably not. But then again, I so rarely get the  
opportunity to... indulge a bit. Why waste it?"  
  
"Well, you've had your fun," his companion said, sourly. "Let's get on with  
our mission, shall we? Have you found the seal already?"   
  
Gear waved his hand dismissingly. "There was no need to search; I already  
knew where the seal was. It's in the castle-- or rather, what's left of it.  
Follow me." He started walking in the direction of the castle ruins without  
bothering to see if his companion had followed. She hurried to catch up.  
  
"You knew where it was already?" she asked incredulously. "Then what were you  
doing out here? Wait, I don't want to know."  
  
They walked in silence after that, each keeping to their own thoughts.  
Eventually, after much weaving and twisting around the rubble, they reached  
the castle. Compared to the rest of the city the castle was still  
recognizable, the upper floors and outbuildings having borne the brunt of the  
attack. They entered the building, carefully picking their way through the  
corridors. After a while, Gear took them down to the castle dungeons.  
  
"Do you mean to say that the seal is in the dungeons?" The girl asked as  
they passed by a row of cells. "That's impossible! It would long have been  
discovered if it were."  
  
"I never said it was in the dungeon," Gear reminded her. He stopped and  
entered the cell at the end of the hall. He placed his hand on the back wall  
of the tiny cell. Suddenly, with a flash of light, the wall exploded and dust  
filled the room. When the dust cleared, the wall now sported a gaping hole,  
and beyond it was another room.   
  
"I didn't know this was in here!" the girl said, surprised.  
  
"Of course not!" Gear scoffed at her. "And neither did anyone else. The fools  
who ruled this country have forgotten their true purpose. East Heaven Kingom  
was created to protect this very place-- the seal to the prison of the Lord  
of Chaos!"  
  
"Ironic, isn't it? That this has been here all this time and nobody knew  
about it." Brushing the dust off her dress, the woman entered the room, Gear  
following close behind. She took a look around. The place was substantially  
more spacious than the cell they had just left, but it was just as bare.  
The walls were of stone, not brick, and pitted with age. The only item of  
interest was the circular pattern engraved into the floor of the room with  
runes and mysterious markings at various intervals. Although she did not  
recognize any of the words written on the pattern she was sure that this was  
the seal they were looking for.  
  
"So, what do we do now?" she asked.  
  
"*You* aren't going to do anything," Gear told her. "For now, at least. I  
will release the spell on the seal. You can watch, but don't step inside the  
pattern." He walked forward to stand in the center of the pattern inscribed   
on floor. As the woman watched, she could have sworn she saw Gear flicker as  
he crossed over the outer boundary of the seal. For a second there it looked  
as if Gear's silver hair had turned black and his complexion had darkened a  
bit. No, it must have been her imagination because when she looked again Gear  
was still silver-haired and light-skinned. The complex patterns of the seal  
came alive as Gear reached the center, the lines and inscriptions glowing  
with light. Energy crackled around the seal and the man standing inside it.  
Gear raised his hands and intoned,  
  
"Cross the void of time and space   
Sacred one, you I embrace.   
Lord of Chaos, trapped beneath   
Your liberty I now bequeath!   
  
Arise now, to rule on high,   
Take your throne above the sky.   
Winds obey, and waters hear,   
Fire bow, and earth do fear!   
  
Void has come to take your place   
So become one with empty space.   
Mighty One, rise from the seal!   
Make our enemies bow and kneel!"   
  
A pillar of light rose from the seal, shooting through the ceiling and up  
into the sky. Gear's silhouette could still be seen from within the pillar.  
The ground started shaking so violently that the girl could hardly stand.  
The girl's cloak whipped violently in the wind that had suddenly risen.  
Black lightning spread out from the seal, writhing with energy, tendrils  
reaching out to the farthest corners of the castle. She flinched as the  
threads of energy came near, but relaxed when the lightning passed through  
her without any harmful effect. The walls were not so lucky-- the lightning  
blasted them into non-existence. There was a flash of blinding light, then  
darkness that seemed to last for eternity. Then her vision cleared, as if  
a mist had been removed, and she noticed that her surroundings had changed.  
  
Gone was the dingy chamber where they had first found the seal. Instead,  
she found herself in a vast starlit darkness. For a moment she thought she  
was suspended in space, but then her feet felt something solid beneath them.  
Taking a few cautious steps, she found that she was indeed stepping on  
something, though her eyes told her otherwise. Gear was now standing beside  
her, and the seal itself was still inscribed on the 'floor' of this strange  
non-space. Hovering above the seal was obsidian throne, on which was seated  
a hazy, indistinct figure who seemed to be caressing the large black sphere  
that floated in front of it. The woman shivered at the feeling of immense  
power coming from both the sphere and the man on the throne.  
  
"My Lord Basa, I rejoice in Your awakening," said Gear, bowing low to the  
figure on the throne.  
  
"Ah, Gear, My faithful servant." The voice was cold and empty. "You have  
served Me well, and your service will be well rewarded. When I have come to  
take My rightful place, you will be My right hand. Anything you would desire  
shall be yours."  
  
"It would be an honor to serve as the right hand of the Lord of Chaos," Gear  
stated.  
  
"The time shall come when I shall rule again, but the seal that imprisons Me  
has not yet fully been broken. The powers that created the seal must be the  
ones that break the seal. Until that is done, My influence will be limited."  
  
"I am aware of that, my Lord," Gear said. "And I have also acquired what You  
had commanded me to." He gestured at the cloaked woman beside him.   
  
Lord Basa shifted his attention to the woman Gear had indicated. "Very well  
done indeed," he complimented. "You have done a fine job with her." To the  
woman, he commanded, "Come closer... Princess Mint."  
  
Doffing her cloak, Mint stepped forward. "My Lord Basa," she bowed.  
  
"Yes, I can feel her potential," Lord Basa hissed. He turned to Gear. "My  
servant, there is another task I would have you do."  
  
"My Lord?"  
  
"Awaken My other servants, it is time they rejoin their Master. I will show  
to you their resting places so that you need not search for it."  
  
"At once, my Lord." Gear disappeared, the information placed directly into  
his mind.  
  
"And you," Lord Basa said, turning to Mint. "You will serve me, as Gear does,  
as all the world will eventually do." It was not a question.  
  
"Oh yes, my Lord!" Mint said, eagerly. "I will do anything you command."  
  
"Then bring to Me one born of Dew, that I may be free of the seal that binds  
Me. And the world shall witness a new age, an age where Chaos shall reign  
supreme! All that stands against Me shall perish in the void of eternal  
darkness. But serve Me well, and you shall have a place in My new era."  
  
"I live to serve You, Lord Basa," Mint declared, "and I will not fail. The  
one that You seek is as good as Yours."  
  
"See that you do not fail me." The black globe Lord Basa had been caressing  
flew to a stop in front of Mint. "I will give you the power to do what needs  
to be done. Stretch forth your hand and receive My blessing."  
  
Mint hesitantly reached out a hand, then stopped as she saw the sphere more  
clearly. It was a perfect sphere, slightly more than a foot in diameter, and  
if she looked closely, she could see flickers of light coming from the center  
of the sphere. It crackled with energy, the same black lightning she had  
witnessed before was running across the sphere's surface. Mint felt drawn to  
the sphere. She suddenly realized what it was.  
  
"A relic!" Mint exclaimed, eyeing the sphere hungrily. She reached out her  
hand and touched the sphere.  
  
And the whole world was plunged into darkness.  
  
******  
  
End Chapter 2  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
CREDITS:  
Thanks again to my pre-reader, Leonis(Leonis472@aol.com), for the loads of  
help he gave me while I was writing this story. He had a lot of contributions  
for this chapter, including the names of Raen and Lord Basa. The city of  
Orava, which was mentioned briefly in my market scene, was also his idea and  
will play a role in a later chapter. Probably the biggest contribution he  
had were the spells. Both Maya's Cosmos spell and Gear's Seal Breaking spell  
are his. Without those two spells, this chapter would be nothing. Of course,  
his biggest achievement is putting up with me and my snail's pace writing.  
He deserves a *lot* of credit for that. Kudos, Leo!  
  
AUTHOR RANTS:  
Here you have it-- Chapter 2 of my Threads of Fate fan fiction. I'm glad to  
have received lots of praises for Chapter 1, as well as threats if I didn't  
continue. ^ ^ Well, don't worry; I do plan to finish this, but this is gonna  
be a long, *long* story. Even I don't know how many chapters there will be.  
I planned this fic *months* ago but only now just started writing it-- that's  
how difficult and complicated the plot is. Well, the story is moving right  
along-- especially now that I have a pre-reader-- so you'll get to see later  
chapters in the next few months.  
  
You're all probably wondering what the heck I'm doing, making Mint into a  
bad guy, right? I assure you, it's essential to the story. I'm not against  
Mint or anything, she's actually my favorite character in Threads of Fate.  
This is just a-- what was the word again? Oh yeah, plot twist. So don't throw  
your rotten tomatoes at me yet, 'coz there's a lot more of Darkening Threads  
coming up!  
  
I hope you had a good time reading. Keep the reviews and C & C coming in and  
I'll keep on writing! And a bit of shameless self-plug here: Please visit  
my website! Special features include: Anime/Game Mp3s, Anime Wallpapers, my  
fan fiction and fanart, and a Free for All Links page(you can add your own  
links!). See you there!  
  
Catch Chapter 3 of Darkening Threads on your favorite cable network! Coming  
soon!  
  
-Lyn Chan  
  
  



	3. A Word From the Author and Chapter 3 Tea...

  
A Word From the Author...   
  
My apologies to all who've been patiently (and some not so patiently) waiting   
for an update to Darkening Threads. I realize that it has been a couple of   
years since the last update, or even a word from me, and for that I'm deeply   
sorry. There's no amount of excuse I could give that would be enough, other   
than that real life has got me so busy lately, coupled with a general lack of   
interest in my writing. I hope you understand this, even though I'm sure   
you don't like it.   
  
Another piece of news that I'm sure you also wouldn't like is that   
Darkening Threads, as it is, will be discontinued. But all is not lost. I   
plan to rewrite the story, with several changes, but keeping to the   
original background concept. When I look back at Darkening Threads, I   
can't help but think that events seem rather rushed. I hope to change this.   
First of all, the timeline will be different. Instead of having the story begin   
five years after the events of the game, I plan to begin it much earlier --   
directly after the game, in fact. Because of this, the pacing will be slowed   
sufficiently to allow for greater character development. Slowed, but I hope   
not dragged out. I want to have greater interaction between the characters,   
to make them come alive, something that will be difficult to do with the   
present rushed pace of Darkening Threads.   
  
Although this will technically be a rewrite, it is actually a whole new fic.   
I mentioned earlier that I will keep the original concept. By this I mean   
that the characters, the basic plot, and some of the events of the current   
story will remain -- with a few tweaks. Most of the changes will be the   
result of the story's expansion. I guess I am a bit ambitious, since I want   
to weave an epic of adventure, drama, angst and romance, with a healthy bit of   
intrigue and plot twists worthy of the likes of Tolkien, R. Jordan, and the   
other greats of fantasy literature. Oh, I don't plan to write the world's   
next great novel. In truth, when I see my little project in my mind's eye, I   
see it as a movie playing in my mind. And that's how I want to write it: as a   
movie (or anime ^_^) that people can enjoy.   
  
The new fic will come with a new title, which I have yet to think of. It will be   
divided among several parts, or books, each dealing with a particular aspect   
of the story. The division will be as follows:   
  
*Prologue -- This part will begin with the final moments of the battle against   
Valen. It is here that events will begin to diverge, allowing me to lead up   
to my story. It is also here that the characters will begin to be tied to the   
fic, particularly the main characters: Mint, Rue, Maya, and Raen. The villains   
too will make their mark here. In effect, the Prologue will be a setup for   
the story proper.   
  
*Book 1 - Before the Storm -- This will deal with the events leading up to   
fall of East Heaven Kingdom. If this was a chess game, you could consider   
this the opening manuevers. Political intrigue will play a major role in   
this book, but there will also be a healthy amount of action and drama.   
  
*Book 2 - When Darkness Falls -- This will involve the events after the fall   
of East Heaven and the subsequent war with the forces of darkness. Most   
of the new characters will appear in this book. I can't say any more without   
giving spoilers.   
  
*Book 3 - Into the Fortress of Shadow -- The climax of the entire series, this   
will involve the protagonists' final strike against the enemy. Again, I can't   
say more without giving spoilers.   
  
*Epilogue -- The aftermath of the war. Possible tie-in to a sequel. 'Nuff said. ^_^   
  
I hope to have the first few chapters of the prologue out as a sort of Christmas   
present, if fate should be kind. I'll try my best. In the meantime, here's a teaser   
of chapter 3 of Darkening Threads had it been continued. Consider it an   
appetizer. I won't be continuing it though, so I apologize again to those who want   
me to do so. I hope that my rewrite will remain as popular as Darkening Threads   
has proved to be,   
  
Respectfully yours,   
  
C-chan   
  
  
[P.S. -- The teaser begins here.]   
  
  
Chapter 3: Journeys   
  
The harsh sound of axe striking wood broke the stillness of the early   
morning silence. The sound came again, its echoes resounding across the   
forest clearing. A simple log cabin stood in the center of the clearing,   
and a short distance away was the source of the noise: a young man chopping   
firewood, the heavy woodcutter's axe being wielded with surprising ease,   
his strength belied by his lean and wiry frame. Taking a final swing at the   
last piece of wood, the silver-haired youth then proceeded to store the   
freshly-chopped logs into the nearby woodshed, leaving a few behind to bring   
to the cabin. After everything was neatly stored away, the young man latched   
the door to the shed then paused, wiping his face with a towel as he   
contemplated the stack of wood he had to carry back to the cabin. Chopping   
firewood was an exhausting chore, Ruenis knew, but somebody had to do it.   
Not that he was complaining. out here in the wilderness everyone pulled   
their own weight-- and chopping firewood was the least he could do to repay   
his brother and Claire for taking him in five years ago. Carrying the   
firewood, Ruenis approached the cabin, then entered through a side door and   
into the kitchen.   
  
"I've got the firewood," he declared. Over by the stove Claire looked at   
him and nodded in acknowledgement.   
  
"Thank you, Ruenis. Could you please set it over there?" Claire pointed at   
a small rack over by the far wall. Ruenis complied gratefully, unloading   
the heavy burden with a sigh of relief. "Breakfast will be ready soon,"   
Claire told him. "I've also prepared a hot bath, in case you want to freshen   
up first."   
  
"Ah- I think I'll take that bath, thanks," Ruenis replied, grimacing as he   
ran a hand down his sweat-slickened shirt. He was just about to head for   
the baths when Claire's next question stopped him.   
  
"By the way, Ruenis, has your brother returned from his hunting trip yet?"   
  
Ruenis frowned in perplexity. "Not yet. You're right, though-- he should be   
back by now. I wonder what's keeping him."   
  
"Well, I'm sure there's no cause to worry. It's only been a few minutes,   
after all." Despite her words, Claire did sound a little worried. It's   
entirely possible that Rue had just been delayed, but Claire had an uneasy   
feeling in the pit of her stomach, as if she knew that something was about   
to go horribly wrong. Sensing Claire's anxiety, Ruenis became uneasy as   
well. He walked over to the kitchen window and looked out, scanning the   
treeline, hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother returning from a   
successful hunt. Several minutes passed as he waited, yet still Rue had not   
arrived. Finally giving up, Ruenis turned away-- but then a flicker of   
motion caught his attention. Emerging from the edge of the forest was Rue.   
But he was not alone. Accompanying him was a man who looked rather the worse   
for wear-- and Ruenis was certain that the bundle in Rue's arms was not a   
deer.   
  
"Claire, Rue's back!" Ruenis exclaimed. "But there's somebody with him.   
Something must have happened." He hurried to the door. "I'm going out to   
help him."   
  
Claire gave a wordless sound of agreement. "I'll go prepare some rooms," she   
said. After seeing the state Rue's companions were in she knew that those   
rooms would be needed soon. nodding absently in response to Claire's words,   
Ruenis rushed out the door. Reaching the new arrivals, he noticed that   
everyone looked as if they had been involved in a fight.   
  
"What happened?" he asked his brother.   
  
"It's a long story," Rue answered wearily. Adjusting his grip on the woman   
he carried, he continued, "I'm gonna need some help; I don't think he can   
go any further." Gesturing, Rue indicated the man beside him. suddenly   
realizing that he didn't know his companion's name Rue sheepishly asked,   
"I'm sorry, but I forgot to ask your name..." The man in question winced,   
partly from embarrassment but mostly from the pain of his wounds.   
  
"It's my fault; I should have introduced myself earlier. My name's Raen.   
I'm East Heaven Kingdom's Royal Court Magician." Raen suddenly hunched his   
shoulders in depression even as he painfully to continue standing upright.   
"At least, I used to be the Royal Court Magician. I'm not even sure if East   
Heaven even exists anymore... Ah, thanks." He sighed in relief as Ruenis   
moved to support him, gratefully accepting the young man's offer of a   
shoulder to lean on.   
  
"Perhaps it's better if you try not to talk for a while," Ruenis suggested.   
"You look pretty beaten up. Come on, we're almost at cabin. By the way, I'm   
Ruenis, Rue's brother."   
  
Even to an outsider the resemblance between the brothers was obvious-- not   
many people had that particular shade of silver-white hair. Looking at   
Ruenis, Raen again felt that odd sense of familiarity-- the same kind of   
feeling he got when he first met Rue. He idly wondered if, hidden under that   
blue and white skullcap, Ruenis also had a gem embedded in his forehead. A   
twinge of pain reminded him of his current situation so he shoved that   
thought to the back of his mind, deciding to think about it later. Right now   
he was more intent on getting to the cabin as quickly as possible.   
  
******   
  
Claire took charge immediately, giving orders for the unconscious Maya to be   
brought into the cabin's only guest room. Raen and the men were ushered off   
towards Rue's room, partly because the guest room had only one bed, which   
Maya now occupied, and partly for the privacy Claire required. The tension   
was palpable as the assembled menfolk awaited Claire's pronouncment. Even   
Raen's injuries hardly seemed to bother him, such was the extent of his   
concern. Minutes passed, and when Claire finally appeared, her expression   
untroubled, the sighs of relief from the room's occupants were loudly   
audible.   
  
"Is she alright?" raen demanded. Despite his relief, the magician wanted   
some confirmation.   
  
"She's fine, just exhausted. I thought it best that she rest awhile. You, on   
the other hand, are another matter entirely." Claire eyed the young man   
critically for a moment, noting the way he held a hand to his side almost   
unconsciously. "I doubt you've escaped with only a few scratches. Does your   
side pain you?"   
  
Raen blinked. "What? Oh-" He gingerly moved his hand away from the side of   
his chest. "Well, I guess it hurts a bit..." He trailed off as Claire   
reached out and pulled his tunic open, her fingers lightly skimming over his   
exposed skin.   
  
"I was afraid of this," Claire murmured. "You have a couple of broken ribs,   
a lot of heavy bruising, and that gash in your arm needs some looking after.   
All in all, I'm surprised you've managed to make it this far without   
collapsing."   
  
"Are the injuries serious?" Rue quietly asked.   
  
"Well, barring the possibility of an infection, the cut should prove no   
problem. The bruises will disappear in a couple of days, although they might   
make him uncomfortable. It's the broken ribs that worries me. If they're set   
improperly, the ends could puncture a lung." She thought for a moment then,   
reaching a decision, nodded meaningfully at Ruenis, who was watching the   
proceedings silently. At the unspoken command the youth left the room,   
leaving the stranger in the care of his brother and Claire.   
  
"He'll be back with some things I'll need," Claire explained of Ruenis'   
disappearance. "In the meantime, you'll have to remove your shirt so I can   
examine your injuries."   
  
Raen wordlessly complied, carefully removing the stained and torn garment.   
It was not an easy task, his movements hampered by the pain of his injuries.   
Claire and Rue moved to assist him and, by the time they got Raen stripped   
of his undershirt, Ruenis had arrived bearing a tray laden with towels, a   
basin of warm water, bandages, medicinal ointments, and a steaming cup of   
herbal tea.   
  
"Here, drink this," Claire told the magician, handing him the cup. "It'll   
help you with the pain."   
  
"Thank you, ma'am," Raen replied, sipping the hot contents gratefully.   
Already, he could feel the pain from his wounds diminishing. Following   
Claire's directions, he settled onto the bed and allowed the young woman to   
tend him. Tenderly, she bathed and bandaged his cuts, especially the gash   
along his left forearm-- all the while taking care not to move him too much,   
so as not to exacerbate the problem caused by his broken ribs.   
  
"Please, just call me Claire," she admonished. "'Ma'am' makes me sound old."   
Finished with bandaging Raen's arem, Claire then began to feel along the   
magician's ribs. Finding the broken ends, she breathed a sigh of relief.   
  
"It's a clean break, thank God. A little binding should do the trick."   
Looking straight into her patient's eyes, she continued, "This might hurt a   
bit. I'll need some help with this. Ruenis?"   
  
"Of course," the youth replied. "What do you want me to do?"   
  
"Here, hold this end," Claire instructed, handing him the end of a long   
cloth bandage. "We're going to wrap the bandage around his chest to keep the   
ribs steady. Be sure not to make the bindings too tight or he wouldn't be   
able to breathe." She looked to see if Ruenis understood. He nooded back.   
  
"Alright then. Please hold still, Master Raen."   
  
Bandages in hand, the two of them then proceeded to bind the magician's   
chest. Despite himself, Raen winced under their careful ministrations. Even   
with the effects of Claire's herbal tea he still felt a twinge of discomfort   
as his ribs' broken ends slid into place. Noticing Raen's discomfort, Rue,   
who had been impassively watching the entire proceedings, decided to help   
him get his mind off the pain.   
  
"Can you tell us what happened?" he asked. "Earlier, you mentioned something   
about East Heaven."   
  
Glad for the distraction, Raen turned his attention to Rue's question. "Yes,   
well, East Heaven has fallen."   
  
"WHAT?!" Rue burst out. Ruenis and Claire were equally stunned at the news,   
pausing in their ministrations to stare wide-eyed at Raen. It was   
inconceivable that a country as powerful as East Heaven Kingdom could have   
been conquered, yet here was East Heaven's Court Magician saying that that   
was just what happened. The implications were obvious-- whoever or whatever   
lay behind the fall of so great a nation must have possessed incredible   
power.   
  
"How did it happen?"   
  
The magician shrugged-- as much as he was able to, swathed in bandages--   
barely acknowledging Rue's question. "One night, that's all it took-- one   
night! We were prepared-- we knew an attack was possible-- but we weren't   
prepared enough. Maybe nothing we could do would have been enough. It was a   
storm, a magical storm," he explained. "The monsters we could handle, even   
monsters that I've never seen before, but a storm that moved and acted like   
it had a will-- like it was alive? No, such a thing was beyond our power.   
It was all her Majesty could do to cancel the storm's magic-- and she was   
using the Book of Cosmos! Many died before the storm lost its power-- so   
many needless deaths!" Raen shook in barely restrained anger as he relived   
the terror of that night. He hated this feeling of impotence, of being   
unable to prevent the deaths of his friends and comrades.   
  
"And the people? What happened to them?" Rue asked. "Surely some have   
survived."   
  
Raen struggled to calm himself, then replied, "Some did survive-- over half   
the population, in fact. Everyone was evacuated to the nearby Kingdom of   
Seithe. Some treaties had to be broken for us to transport that many people,   
but I'm sure our alliance with Seithe will hold strong. Her Majesty and I   
would have gone too were we not interrupted by a demon-- the same demon   
which Rue defeated." Raen's manner conveyed his gratitude for Rue's timely   
rescue.   
  
Ruenis had been quietly listening in on the conversation, but something Raen   
said caught his attention. "Excuse me," he interrupted, "did you say 'her   
Majesty'? I thought Maya was a princess." Rue started in surprise-- only   
after his brother mentioned it did he notice the change in address.   
  
"She was crowned queen a few weeks earlier, after her father died," the   
magician explained.   
  
"Oh, poor Maya!" Claire exclaimed sympathetically. "It must be hard for her,   
losing her country so soon after her father's death and her sister's   
disappearance."   
  
"She'll survive," Rue declared with certainty. "Maya is strong and she'll   
get through this. She's a lot like her sister in that respect."   
  
Claire nodded. "I agree. Oh, she may hurt a while but in the end, she'll be   
stronger because of it." Seeing the ubious look on Raen's face, she reaced   
out and patted his hand. "Trust in her."   
  
"I do," Raen answered fervently. "I just don't like seeing her get hurt."   
  
Claire smiled knowingly at the young man. "She'll be fine. Now, it's time   
for you to get some rest. If there's anything else you have to say, you can   
tell us later, after you wake up. Unless I'm mistaken, you have a long   
journey ahead of you."   
  
Raen complied without protest, laying back down on the bed. He barely   
noticed the others quietly leaving the room as he thought about the events   
of a few hours ago. Somehow, he vowed, he will avenge his friends' deaths.   
Even if he had to give his life to do it.   
  
*******   
  
[END teaser] 


End file.
